At Beyond Coral Foundation, we're thrilled to share groundbreaking progress in our mission to restore the world's reefs through innovative, scalable technology. In collaboration with CSIRO and our Coral Husbandry Automated Raceway Machine (CHARM), we've helped develop the world's first soft robotic gripper designed specifically for handling delicate baby corals. This AI-powered tool mimics the gentle touch of a human hand, enabling safe, automated cultivation and transfer of corals in onshore farms—paving the way for faster reef regeneration amid climate threats.

Check out the full story in CSIRO's announcement: World-first robotic hand to help cultivate baby corals for reef restoration. As CSIRO Soft Robotics Scientist Dr. Josh Pinskier notes, "By automating this process, we can contribute to broader global efforts to scale coral farming and help restore the world’s reefs." Our founder, Stephen Rodan, adds, "This is the first time in history that a robot apparatus ever picked up a coral and transferred it safely between tanks using a soft robotic gripper of this kind."

Coral reefs face unprecedented threats from climate change, pollution, and human activity. Restoring these vital ecosystems requires delicate handling of fragile baby corals, a task that has long challenged conservationists. Now, a breakthrough technology promises to transform coral restoration efforts worldwide.

At the forefront of this innovation is the world's first soft robotic gripper designed specifically to handle baby corals safely and efficiently. Developed through funding by patrons, investors, Radium Capital, and match funded by CSIRO's KickStart, this teleoperated robotic hand mimics the gentle touch of a human hand, enabling automated cultivation and transfer of corals in onshore farms. This advancement aims to accelerate reef regeneration and help protect marine biodiversity on a global scale.

Soft robotic gripper handling baby coral in aquaculture tank

The Challenge of Coral Restoration

Coral reefs support about 25% of all marine species and provide essential benefits such as coastal protection and fisheries. However, coral populations have declined sharply due to warming oceans, acidification, and physical damage.

Restoring reefs involves growing baby corals in controlled environments before transplanting them back into the wild. This process requires extreme care because baby corals are fragile and easily damaged by rough handling. Traditionally, human divers or technicians manually transfer corals, which limits the scale and speed of restoration projects.

Scaling up coral farming demands a method that can handle delicate corals with precision, reduce labor costs, and operate continuously without fatigue. This need inspired the development of a robotic solution that combines softness, adaptability, and intelligence.

How the Soft Robotic Gripper Works

The soft robotic gripper is a flexible, adaptive tool designed to grasp and move baby corals without causing harm. Unlike rigid robotic arms, this gripper uses soft materials and a generative design framework called ReefFlex to optimize its shape and function for coral handling.

ReefFlex applies multi-objective optimization to create grippers that can conform to various coral shapes and sizes. The design also ensures corrosion resistance, allowing the gripper to operate reliably in saltwater environments.

Equipped with AI, the gripper senses the coral's position and adjusts its grip strength and movement in real time. This mimics the gentle touch of a human hand, preventing damage during transfer between tanks or onto reef substrates.

The robotic system integrates with the Coral Husbandry Automated Raceway Machine (CHARM), an onshore coral farm platform developed by Beyond Coral Foundation. Together, they automate the cultivation process from coral larvae to transplant-ready juveniles.

Real-World Testing and Results

The soft robotic gripper has been tested successfully in aquaculture settings, demonstrating its ability to handle a wide range of coral species safely. These trials showed:

• Consistent, damage-free transfer of baby corals between tanks

• Increased throughput compared to manual handling

• Reduced labor requirements and operational costs

• Reliable performance in saltwater conditions over extended periods

  
  

Dr. Josh Pinskier, a CSIRO Soft Robotics Scientist involved in the project, highlighted the potential impact: "By automating this process, we can contribute to broader global efforts to scale coral farming and help restore the world’s reefs."

Stephen Rodan, a founder of Beyond Coral Foundation, added, "This is the first time in history that a robot apparatus ever picked up a coral and transferred it safely between tanks using a soft robotic gripper of this kind."

The Science Behind ReefFlex

The ReefFlex framework represents a significant advance in soft robotics design. It uses computational methods to generate gripper shapes that balance multiple goals:

• Adaptability to different coral geometries

• Durability in harsh marine environments

• Gentle yet secure grasping

• Ease of manufacturing

  
  

This approach allows engineers to create customized grippers tailored to specific coral species or restoration tasks. The framework also supports rapid iteration and improvement based on field feedback.

ReefFlex embodies the concept of "mechanical intelligence," where the physical design of a robot complements its control algorithms to achieve safe and effective operation in complex, cluttered environments like coral farms.

Funding and Collaboration

The development of the soft robotic gripper and CHARM platform was made possible through strong partnerships and funding support. Radium Capital provided a vital R&D Tax Incentive advance that accelerated the project’s progress, alongside generous donations by our patrons and matched funding by the CSIRO Kickstart program. We at Beyond Coral are very grateful to them!

This collaboration between research institutions, conservation organizations, and funding bodies exemplifies how combining expertise and resources can drive practical solutions for environmental challenges.

What This Means for Coral Restoration

The introduction of the soft robotic gripper marks a turning point in coral restoration technology. It offers a scalable, automated method to nurture and transplant baby corals with minimal risk of damage.

This technology can:

• Increase the scale of coral farming operations

• Lower costs and labor demands

• Improve survival rates of transplanted corals

• Speed up reef recovery efforts globally

  
  

As coral reefs face mounting pressures, tools like this robotic gripper provide hope for more effective restoration strategies that can keep pace with environmental threats.

Looking Ahead

Beyond Coral Foundation, CHARM, and CSIRO continue to refine the robotic gripper and expand its applications. Future developments may include:

• Integration with underwater robotic systems for direct reef transplantation

• Adaptation for other fragile marine organisms

• Enhanced AI capabilities for autonomous operation

  
  

The success of this project encourages further investment in robotics and automation to support marine conservation.

If you want to learn more about this exciting innovation and support coral restoration efforts, consider following Beyond Coral Foundation’s work or exploring opportunities to sponsor your own coral at www.charm.bot.