To save the Great Barrier Reef from starfish, a bot designed to kill them

MELBOURNE: Australian researchers have developed the world's first robot designed to seek out and eliminate crownof-thorns starfish (COTS) that are wreaking havoc on the Great Barrier Reef 's coral.

COTS are responsible for 40% of the reefs total decline in coral cover. The COTSbot is equipped with stereoscopic cameras to give it depth perception, five thrusters to maintain stability , GPS and pitch-and-roll sensors and a pneumatic injection arm to deliver a fatal dose of bile salts. "There just aren't enough human divers to cover all COTS hotspots across the reef," its creator Dr Mathew Dunbabin said.

The COTSbot is designed to search the reef for up to eight hours at a time, delivering more than 200 lethal shots. "COTSbot can think for itself in the water," said Dr Feras Dayoub, who designed the robot's software system.