This research endeavour explores how soft robotics can be used for marine conservation, particularly towards the creation of artificial reefs. The project addresses the critical gap in volunteer availability and effective methodologies for constructing artificial reefs, a task that traditionally demands substantial resources, including dive equipment, air tanks, and manual labour, thus resulting in high costs and low efficacy.
To rectify this issue, we are developing an eco-robot that leverages research in soft robotics. Our aim is to fabricate a soft actuator that autonomously plants coral substrates into artificial reefs. Through the use of soft actuation, we ensure that minimal stresses are exerted on the living coral substrates. A significant aspect of our research involves collaborating with existing artificial reef companies, particularly those utilising 3D printing technology for reef construction. Through embedding small adjustments to their design, our eco-robot can seamlessly implant coral substrates into their structures, leading to improved artificial reef fabrication.
Our approach involves the attachment of coral fragments to limestone plugs, which are then securely positioned within specially designed niches in the artificial reef structures. These limestone plugs play an important role in fostering coral growth by expediting the propagation process, an essential factor for the thriving of coral fragments into robust colonies.
Drawing inspiration from the human body’s peristaltic movement, our methodology employs a bioinspired cylindrical shaped actuator built from silicon materials. Through the inflation and deflation of compartments within this actuator, delicate materials can be propagated downwards, achieving a soft compliant mechanism compatible with biological organisms such as coral.