Beginning this winter, the Great Barrier Reef will have a protector. A killer robot, called the COTSbot, is an autonomous sub that is 4.5-foot-long. It helps kill the coral-eating crown-of-thorn starfishes (COTS) by hunting them down. This is going to be one of many attempts to save the Reef from destruction.

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As per the Scientific American Site, the COTSbot is said to follow a pre-programmed path. It moves up and down the Reef using five thrusters, and when the bot surfaces its antenna, it transmits its GPS location as well as other details through Wi-Fi. The bot camera identifies its prey by comparing the suspects to an onboard database of images. It has five thrusters for five-axis mobility.

According to Dr Matt Dunbabin, the developer of the COTSbot robot, the bot was created as a first responder system to gear up the existing COTS eradication program. They need to be injected with poisonous bile salts or dismembered to kill them completely. The COTSbot is built to work in rough seas for eight hours at a time. Five thrusters allow the bot to hover in place as poison is injected via a vision-guided articulating arm. 

The Great Barrier Reef is a natural wonder, a home to 30 species of whales and dolphins, more than 1500 species of fish and 133 species of sharks and rays. Due to extreme ocean temperatures, the corals on the Great Barrier Reef have gone through severe bleaching and starving. If not protected now, it could destroy the Reef completely.

The Great Barrier Reef is very fragile, precious and is a living thing. The only living thing on Earth that is visible from space is the Great Barrier Reef, and it has already reached level 3 of bleaching, which is the highest level possible. It needs more protection than ever now.