Get the latest tech news
Ontario teens invent robot to help protect coastlines
When Stefan Teodorescu’s aunt returned from a trip to the Pacific islands, one memory stuck with her: she described for Teodorescu the labour-intensive process of volunteers manually planting mangrove seeds to combat coastal erosion. The repetitive nature of the task, combined with the role mangroves play in climate adaptation, inspired Teodorescu to find a way to automate the process.
Partnering with his high school classmate, Oscar Barbieri, Teodorescu created a robot that plants mangrove trees that serve as natural barriers to protect coastlines from rising seas. Their project earned them top honours at the Canadian World Robotics Olympiad, and now, Teodorescu is taking his solution to the international stage at the WRO competition in Turkey. Above the water, their dense canopy offers shelter to birds, insects, mammals and reptiles, while below, the roots support water-filtering creatures like tunicates, sponges and bivalves.
Or read this on r/technology
