During a recent trip to California I had an amazing conversation with Kiyara and her father, Warnaka Gunawardena. It started with a simple question, “Tell us about your aquarium at home!”, which led to a fascinating discovery. Kiyara has built an underwater robot she named CORAL.
This robot captures 360 degree reef footage and water data for months at a time. The name CORAL is a very fitting acronym for Continuous Operation Research for Aquatic Life.
This low cost robot is Kiyara’s entry into the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, an event that encourages students to identify and creatively solve problems. The robot also incorporates a 3M Scotch-Brite product to keep the viewing cylinder clean of algae. This is achieved by using magnets that slide up and down the viewing tube, allowing the camera to continuously view and photograph the surrounding area without obstruction.
The kind of chemistry data her robot collects is based on salinity & temperature for monitoring the health of the reef environment and tracking the bleaching event and the levels in which it happens in regards to the 2 data points.
Her robot can operate for up to 3 months at a time and is potentially a cost-effective solution for a variety of projects monitoring reefs by the use of 3D-printed parts that she designed using OnShape CAD software. CORAL is built with 14 custom 3D printed pieces all of which Kiyara has designed and printed herself at home, going through 10-15 redesign iterations before approving them for ocean testing.
Her patent-pending design utilizes a 20-watt DeWalt battery and a Raspberry Pi Zero, enabling it to efficiently manage power through sleep and wake modes. Key features include a full 360-degree viewing window that automatically cleans itself of algae and collects data from the water.
Kiyara has been testing her robot in the local tide pools in La Jolla, California. She has successfully acquired multiple examples of footage, which further her proof of concept. Kiyara is currently working on improvements to CORAL, such as its ability to send data wirelessly.
Her inspiration for saving the coral reefs came from the documentary “Chasing Coral.” She hopes to create something that can be widely used to assist with reef monitoring projects.
Kiyara’s innovative work recently captured the attention of the Scripps Research Center, where she is currently undertaking a two-week ocean trial at their facility.
Kiyara has successfully developed the third generation of the CORAL prototype. This involved reprinting 3D parts for precise fittings and ensuring that CORAL Gen 3 is fully prepared for the 3M competition on October 14th. For this event, Kiyara and her guardian will be flown to Minnesota, where she will be one of only ten contestants presenting their inventions to the judges.
Alongside her dedicated 3M scientist mentor, who has provided guidance throughout the summer, Kiyara will present CORAL with the hope of winning the competition.
Regardless of the final results of the 3M competition, we love seeing projects like this exist and that young inventors like Kiyara have an opportunity to shine with the drive to make a difference for our oceans and possibly beyond.
Reef Builders is cheering for you, Kiyara, and we cannot wait to continue hearing about your progress with CORAL. Good luck in Minnesota!
