“We
see the COTSbot as a first responder for ongoing eradication programs --
deployed to eliminate the bulk of COTS in any area, with divers following a few
days later to hit the remaining COTS. The COTSbot becomes a real force
multiplier for the eradication process the more of them you deploy -- imagine
how much ground the programs could cover with a fleet of 10 or 100 COTSbots at
their disposal, robots that can work day and night and in any weather
condition”
Dr Matthew Dunbabin, Lead
Designer for the COTSbot (Crown-of-Thorns Starfish robot) at the Institute for
Future Environments
Robots
are pretty cool and the Aussies are putting them to some interesting
applications.
Now
comes the latest one; Queensland University of Technology has developed a Robot
to kill of the deadly Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci) that's destroying the Great Barrier Reef as
explained in the article “Seek-and-destroy
robot to stop starfish killing the Great Barrier Reef”, published September
7, 2015 by Michelle Starr, CNET News.
This
robot, an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) dubbed the COTSbot (Crown-of-Thorns
Starfish robot), was developed by the Queensland University of Technology
over a period of ten (10) years.
The
group has been focused on the development of the robot to kill the Crown-of-Thorns
Starfish (Acanthaster planci) which
has been identified as the main cause of the decline in the Great Barrier Reef
as per the research paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Journal “The 27–year decline of
coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef and its causes”.
It
basically works by identifying the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci) and then injecting
it with a deadly mixture of ox bile salts. This procedure causes the
Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci)
to blister and burst open, dying within 24 hours.
A
breakthrough by the James Cook University via the discovery that vinegar was
just as effective as ox bile salts is what got Dr Matthew Dunbabin, Lead
Designer for the COTSbot (Crown-of-Thorns
Starfish robot), to restart his project as note in the article “This
underwater Drone hunts and kills invasive starfish on the Great Barrier reef”,
published September 4, 2015 By Kelly Hodgkins, Digitaltrends.
Best
of all, this condition is infectious; other Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci) that come in contact
with the dead and dying Crown-of-Thorns Starfish also die within 24 hours.
With a mortality rate of 100%, this is possibly the best solution against this invasive pest that's eating the coral that takes decades to grow and cover the 344,400 square kilometers (133,000 square miles) the Great Barrier Reef.
But
aside from killing this pest, why is the COTSbot (Crown-of-Thorns
Starfish robot) necessary? After all, couldn't human diver have done a
similar job and get paid doing it?
Queensland University
of Technology COTSbot - How Robots will be back as underwater terminators
Apparently
it's not that easy for human divers to swim around for hunting for the
Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster
planci).
In
fact, Dr Matthew Dunbabin
, Lead Designer for the COTSbot
(Crown-of-Thorns Starfish robot) at the Institute for Future Environments
at the Queensland University of Technology, praised the work of the divers thus
far, quote: “Human divers are doing an incredible job of eradicating this
starfish from targeted sites but there just aren't enough divers to cover all
the COTS hotspots across the Great Barrier Reef”.
However,
as you might have guessed, being as this is repetitive and dangerous work, as
the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster
planci) sting causes quite a reaction, making robots perfectly suited to
doing this type of job!
The
COTSbot can operate
at lower depths than the humans can and can swim 1 meter above the ocean floor.
Because the drone operates under water and floats based on buoyancy, its
batteries are mainly to operate propulsion, navigation and the on board
controller. This means it gets up to eight (8) hours of swimming time underwater
and can carry a payload of 200 lethal injections.
It
also has a built in stereoscopic camera as the input to the onboard
controller, making it capable of detecting the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci), which it's capable
of doing autonomously with an accuracy of 99%. Once the COTSbot spots a
Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster
planci), it takes a picture that's sent to a human for verification before
it delivers it's lethal dose of ox Bile salts.
Queensland University
of Technology COTSbot Trials in December 2015 - Hunter killers to reduce
exploding population of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish
The
team from the Queensland University of Technology is currently improving the
accuracy of the COTSbot
by giving its built-in AI (Artificial Intelligence) algorithm as many pictures
of the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster
planci) under varying conditions.
This
so that it can identify the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci) accurately, even if it has a different colour
or chooses to hide within the coral. The Queensland University of Technology
will do some trial runs on December 2015.
Also,
they may wish to work with the James Cook University and replace the use of Ox
Bile Salts with Vinegar, which is just as effective at killing the Crown-of-Thorns
Starfish (Acanthaster planci) as
reported in the article “Coral-eating
crown-of-thorns starfish can be killed with vinegar, scientists find”,
published Wednesday 23 September 2015 by Oliver Milman, The UK Guardian and “Barrier Reef: Vinegar
could curtail coral-eating starfish”, published 23 September 2015, BBC News.
If
successful, the COTSbot
will be deployed all across the Great Barrier Reef as hunter killers to reduce
the currently exploding population of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci).
Robots as
hunter-killers for other invasive species - From killing Crown-of-Thorns
Starfish to Lionfish and gigantic Goldfish
But
most interesting is that if this strategy works for the Crown-of-Thorns
Starfish (Acanthaster planci)), could
it not also be used to hunt and kill other invasive species, such as the Red
Lionfish (Pterois volitans) as
described in my blog
article entitled “National
Lionfish Project reaps 66% reduction as Lionfish Population is down - NEPA's
MTIASIC suggests Commercial Lionfish Farming possible for Restaurants and Fast
Food Industry”.
In
fact, it can also be used to hunt and kill goldfish now plagueing the
Australian rivers based on research done by Murdoch University’s Freshwater
Fish Group and Fish Health Unit in Australia a reported in my blog article
entitled “Murdoch
University says Goldfish Destroy Freshwater Ecosystems - Why Jamaica must avoid
Goldfish becoming Kingpins in our Rivers”.
Yet
another use of robots that at least beneficial and keeping humans out of harm’s
way!
Robotics
used to protect the environment in this way is one of the more beneficial
aspects of these cybernetic systems. Hopefully, other countries will follow
Australia's example and begin to gradually accept the use of Robotics in
everyday life!
Here’s
the link:
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