ReefGuard: The Smart Coral Doctor
What is reefguard?
ReefGuard is a concept for an autonomous underwater robot designed to monitor coral reef health and fight ocean acidification at the local level.
Its primary mission:
Detect dangerous changes in pH levels in real-time and respond by releasing precise doses of alkalinity-enhancing substances, like calcium hydroxide, to stabilize the water and support coral survival.
RangerBot designed by: QUT Centre for Robotics
(Similar Visual Example of ReefGuard)
While RangerBot focuses on identifying and removing harmful species like crown-of-thorns starfish, ReefGuard is designed to monitor ocean acidity and release alkaline substances to help stabilize reef conditions.
How it Works
RangerBot designed by: QUT Centre for Robotics
(Similar Visual Example of the ReefGuard)
1. pH Monitoring in Real Time
ReefGuard will be equipped with sensitive pH and temperature sensors
It patrols coral areas, scanning water chemistry and logging reef data
2. Targeted Alkalinity Dosing
When pH drops to critical levels, ReefGuard will release a fine mist of calcium hydroxide
This raises local alkalinity gently, giving coral a better chance to form strong skeletons
3. Autonomous, Eco-Friendly Design
Glides slowly above reef structures
Avoids contact with coral
Powered by ocean current turbines
Bioluminescent signals indicate its mode (monitoring, dosing, idle)
Long Term Vision
ReefGuard could be deployed in vulnerable reef zones worldwide
It will collect long-term data to support coral science
Multiple robots could work as a network, restoring reefs more effectively than humans alone
ReefGuard
Smart, Safe, and Designed to Heal the Ocean
With the right support, I hope to prototype ReefGuard and help restore the coral reefs that changed my life.
Function unavailable yet due to the creator’s foreign identity.