Starfish-Killing Robot May Lethally Inject Starfish on the Great Barrier Reef

A starfish-killing robot may be let loose on the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists have designed a robot to help tackle crown-of-thorns starfish that are posing a significant threat to coral.

The starfish in question is a destructive animal that hurts corals. In addition, they're so pervasive that they create massive populations, spreading throughout an area in just a few years. Overall, they're estimated to be responsible for a 40 percent decline in coral reef cover. That's why researchers decided to create a robot to help curtail this problem.

The robot itself is called the COTSbot, which stands for Crow-Of-Thorns Starfish robot. It's equipped with stereoscopic cameras to give it depth perception, five thrusters to maintain stability, GPS and pitch-and-roll sensors and a unique injection arm to deliver a fatal dose of bile salts to starfish.

Field trials of the robot have already begun in Moreton Bay in Brisbane to refine its navigation system. Once the robot has refined its navigation system, it will be unleashed on the reef itself.

"Later this month we begin deploying the robot in the Great Barrier Reef to evaluate our state-of-the-art vision-based crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) detection system," said Matthew Dunbabin, one of the researchers, in an interview with BBC. "Over the next five months we plan to progressively increase the level of autonomy the robot is allowed, leading to autonomous detection and injection of the starfish."

The new robot could be huge when it comes to reef conservation. By culling these starfish, officials can ensure that the Great Barrier Reef remains healthy.

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