Lethal Injection of the good kind

This short clip shows how pattern recognition software, combined with an undersea robot equipped with a lethal injection system, works in eradicating the Crown of Thorns starfish, a giant plaque victimizing the Great Barrier Reef 24/7.

Meet the COTSbot.

It may not be as adorable as other patrolling robots we’ve seen recently, but when the COTSbot is sent on a patrol it means business.

Operating so close to the sea floor — one of the most difficult environments for autonomous robots to navigate — the COTSbot is equipped with some serious tech. With stereoscopic cameras for depth perception, five thrusters to maintain stability in all weather conditions, GPS and pitch-and-roll sensors and a pneumatic injection arm to deliver the fatal shot that previously divers would administer by hand — the COTSbot is one lean, mean starfish-killing machine.

Pretty cool tech without question.

Seen below is nature's way of dealing with the problem with a Giant Triton doing a number on the COT in real time. Pretty awesome without question.