The key to saving corals from dying out might be inside a warehouse in Queensland, Australia. The outside looks ordinary. But inside is a nursery full of tanks containing baby corals! Each tank holds 132 gallons (500 liters) of water, plus hundreds of thousands of coral eggs, each one smaller than the head of a pin.

A group called the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Project (RRAP) cares for these tiny animals. In the wild, corals live in clusters of millions, forming coral reefs. Their hard outer skeletons provide homes for ocean animals. But warming ocean temperatures can stress and kill corals. RRAP hopes to change this by breeding corals that can better survive. Once the babies are adults, workers will place them in key locations in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to help rebuild it.

Initially, monitoring the corals was a lot of work. Scientists checked each tank every hour—even late at night. They would count corals under a microscope to track their growth. But that work has become much easier thanks to an invention by roboticist Dorian Tsai and his team. They designed special robots that can do the job faster. Tsai recently spoke with SuperSTEM about his work and about saving coral reefs.

What’s the key to saving corals from dying out? It might be inside a warehouse in Queensland, Australia. The outside looks normal. But the inside is full of tanks. They contain baby corals! Each tank holds 132 gallons (500 liters) of water. Plus, there’s hundreds of thousands of coral eggs. Each one is smaller than the head of a pin.

A group cares for these tiny animals. It’s called the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Project (RRAP). Corals live in clusters of millions in the wild. Their hard outer skeletons form coral reefs. Reefs provide homes for ocean animals. But oceans are warming. That can stress and kill corals. RRAP hopes to change this. It’s growing corals that can better survive. The babies become adults. Then workers place them in the ocean. They go to key locations in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. That could help rebuild it.

Caring for the corals was a lot of work at first. Scientists checked each tank every hour. They did this even late at night. They would count corals under a microscope. This allowed them to track their growth. But that work is now much easier. That’s thanks to a new invention. It was created by roboticist Dorian Tsai and his team. They designed special robots that can count corals faster. Tsai recently spoke with SuperSTEM about his work and saving coral reefs.

Growing up, I loved how lifelike R2-D2 from Star Wars was. I was also captivated in 1996 by the launch of Sojourner, the first Mars rover. That’s a remote-controlled vehicle for exploration. I later learned how robots can help people! Robots can perform tasks that are dull, dirty, and dangerous. They can sort packages, repair sewers, and search for people in collapsed buildings.

I loved how lifelike R2-D2 from Star Wars was growing up. I was also amazed by the launch of Sojourner in 1996. It was the first Mars rover. That’s a remote-controlled vehicle used to explore. I later learned how robots can help people! Robots can do tasks that are dull, dirty, and dangerous. They can sort packages and repair sewers. Or they can search for people in collapsed buildings.

Once a year, the corals in the tanks release eggs that can grow into babies. The robots’ cameras take hundreds of photos of the eggs per hour as they float around. A computer uses a program to interpret the images. It counts how many eggs are growing and how many aren’t. Then it compares the numbers. Very few eggs survive in the wild, but scientists can increase their chances in captivity. When fewer eggs are growing than not, the scientists know to adjust the tank’s temperature, water level, and airflow to help the corals grow.

Later scientists move the baby corals to new tanks where they grow on ceramic tiles. As they grow, a different camera on a robotic arm counts them. After 12 weeks, the corals are ready
to be moved to the reef. Then we work on improving the whole system for the next time.

The corals in the tanks release eggs once a year. The eggs float around. And the robots’ cameras take hundreds of photos per hour. A computer uses a program. It studies the images. It counts how many eggs are and aren’t growing. Then it compares the numbers. Very few eggs survive in the wild. But scientists can raise their chances in tanks. If too few eggs are growing, they know to adjust the tank. They change the temperature, water level, and airflow. This helps the corals grow.

Later scientists move the baby corals to new tanks. There they grow on ceramic tiles. A different camera on a robotic arm counts them. The corals are ready to be moved to the reef after 12 weeks. Then we work on making the system better for the next time.

Build things with your hands and learn how to program computers. It’s also important to learn math and science to understand how the world works. Robotics is a way of solving problems. So observe challenges and think about how you can solve them!

Build things with your hands. Learn how to program computers. It’s also important to learn math and science. They show you how the world works. Robotics is a way to solve problems. So find challenges. And think about how to solve them!