now you can grow coral at home and help saving the reef
People to now grow coral at home and contribute to preserve marine biodiversity. Corals can then be returned the ocean, to maintain the coral reef system.
The Coral Rescue kit, designed by designer Tomomi Sayuda, a japanese visiting fellow at DID Singapore, college of design and engineering, entres around a specially-designed tank that enables members of the public to grow coral for eventual return to the ocean.
The project aims to make marine science more accessible and provide opportunities for public participation in coral conservation. Once the home-grown coral reaches an appropriate size it can be returned to the sea by experienced divers, helping to restore and maintain vital coral reefs that form the basis for the tropical marine ecosystem.
Coral reef, a fragile ecosystem
Coral reefs are home to 25% of marine species, and global cooperative conservation is needed to ensure their long-term preservation.
The Coral Rescue Kit project’s aim is to encourage the general public to engage in coral conservation, thereby contributing to maintaining marine biodiversity both now and in the future. This will be achieved through a mixture of design artifacts and activities, enabling us to reach a wide range of people.
The Coral Rescue Kit
The project is all about a self-growing coral kit (which would be publicly accessible) that enables anyone to cultivate coral at home.
Once the home-grown coral reaches an appropriate size, it can be returned to the sea by experienced divers. We have also developed a workshop format to educate people about the issues and encourage engagement.
The goal is to boost coral reef protection by designing the development of novel coral growth methods and disseminating them to a wider scientific community and the public. We are planning to implement the global educational program to learn and generate ideas for coral growth for high school students in Tokyo and Richmond, in the United States.
Kit specifications
Corals grown in a custom-designed tank. Aside from the tank, the project also includes a specially designed app to monitor and manage the coral growth.
Watch the video below for a step-by-step explanation:
Education
The team has also developed a workshop format to educate the public about marine conservation and encourage engagement using tools such as displays of local Singapore corals and flashcards related to coral research.
Project partners
The Coral Rescue Kit is a collaborative project between The Division of Industrial Design (DID) under College of Design and Engineering as well as the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI) of the National University of Singapore (NUS) and DLX Design Lab, Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (UTokyo). Besides, the project is kindly supported by UTokyo Ushioda Foundation.
The lead designer researcher is Tomomi Sayuda from the DLX Design Lab, at UTokyo. The project has been informed and inspired by the coral conservation research activities of TMSI at NUS.
sources: NUS I IIS Tokyo I What design can do
cover image: cde.nus.edu
author: Barbara Marcotulli
