Bionic Corals
The mass bleaching and deaths of corals has been a catastrophic result of global climate change, but could you imagine a world where coral prosthetics coexist in the reef to aid the growth of new coral and allow sea life to prosper? Well, as of 2020, researchers at Cambridge University and University of California San Diego have constructed 3D-printed bionic corals shaped to mimic the complex patterns of reef bases. However, it is not just as simple as just 3D-printing an object that looks like a coral. Because corals produce a certain algae to fuel photosynthesis and collect and redirect light, they are highly symbiotic organisms that act as a home to 25% of all sea life (NOAA, 2020), the material they are made of must be able to simulate these aspects. The biomaterial constructed for 3D printing consists of polymer gels and hydrogels that hold cellulose nanomaterials. Cellulose is the molecule that makes up plant walls, and nanomaterials are nano-robots that can enhance photosynthesis, meaning this material is a living gel enhanced with biotics, and when printed, the material is formed into a biohybrid robot. However, while these bionic corals can teach us about the coral-algae symbiosis and how coral facilitates an ecosystem, there are no plans to implement them to aid any coral reefs.
Wangpraseurt, D., You, S., Azam, F., Jacucci, G., Gaidarenko, O., Hildebrand, M., … Vignolini, S. (2019). Bionic 3D printed corals. Nature Communications, 11(1748). http://doi.org/10.1101/834051
See also:
Coldewey, D. (2020, April 10). 3D-printed ‘bionic corals’ mimic a reef’s powers of photosynthesis. Retrieved May 27, 2020, from https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/10/3d-printed-bionic-corals-mimic-a-reefs-powers-of-photosynthesis/
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2020). Coral reefs support 25% of life in the ocean — but they need our help. Retrieved from https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/dec15/coral-bleaching.html
Categories
Artificial Life, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Internet of Things, Pollution
More Ideas
Air Pollution Robot
The dangers of air pollution to human health are well documented, though the traditional methodology of collecting and reporting on sample lags behind the need to keep abreast and regulate air pollution in a meaningful amount of time. The use of drones and robots have been identified by researchers as resources that can be tweaked […]
Artificial Life, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Industry/Natural Commodities, Lifestyle, Monitoring
Telematic Rivers
Erica Kermani’s artwork seeks to answer a central question: if rivers were seeing an equal, living entity, would humans take issues like climate change threatening them more seriously? In his year-long art exhibition in 2017, Kermani, in collaboration with Diana Salcedo & Jeana Chesnik, created a new forum of interaction between humans and rivers to […]
Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Pollution, Visual Technologies
Co-occupied Boundaries
Art is easily found in nature but rarely is what considered art today inherently natural. The concept of co-occupied mediums that serve to be both functional for nature and aesthetically pleasing to people is being actively explored by Asya Ilgun and Phil Ayres, from the CITAstudio at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In […]
Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Pollution, Visual Technologies