Robotics and AI - the Ocean's New Allies

Summary:

Coral reefs are amongst the planet's most biodiverse ecosystems, with 25% of marine species calling them home.  However, reefs are increasingly at risk due to climate change, with estimates predicting up to 70-90% loss of coral reefs by the year 2050.  Monitoring marine ecosystems provides critical data for reef managers and policymakers, while reef restoration improves the resilience of coral reefs to heat stress events.  In this talk, I will discuss how QUT's robotic and AI-enabled technologies are transforming the field of marine conservation, by increasing the scale and impact of both monitoring and restoration efforts by orders of magnitude.

 

Bio:

Dr Scarlett Raine is a Lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology's School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics, and a Chief Investigator in the QUT Centre for Robotics. She pioneers the use of computer vision, AI and robotics to automatically analyse underwater imagery and monitor marine ecosystems more efficiently, earning the Executive Dean’s Commendation for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis in 2024. She brings her expertise to the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program as a Chief Investigator on the $3.5m Transition to Deployment sub-program, where she is developing an AI-driven Reef Guidance System for automated re-seeding of temperature-resilient coral babies to degraded reefs.  Scarlett's innovative research and commitment to diversity were recognised with the Pearcey CICTA Rising Star award in 2025 and Highly Commended at the Women in Technology Awards, where she was a finalist in the Emerging Tech and Emerging Science Star categories.