One of our goals here at Ocean Builders is not to simply be eco-friendly, but to be eco-restorative meaning that we want to help restore the ecosystems in our oceans. One of the projects that we will use to track the progress of the biodiversity restoration that is happening around the SeaPod is our Biodiversity AI system.

This system will use a network of underwater cameras that not only view but monitor the growth of ocean life beneath and around the SeaPod. With our single-spar prototype in Thailand and our small-scale TriPod prototype here in Panama, we saw huge amounts of marine life congregating in places that did not previously have as much sea life. In addition to the natural coral growth and attraction of fish, we will be “planting” artificial reefs on and below the SeaPod which will encourage coral growth.

This is where our Biodiversity AI Monitoring system comes into play. These cameras will be able to monitor the growth over time to measure how much and how quickly the growth is happening. The system will also be able to identify specific species to get a better idea of which species are the most active in specific areas so that we can better determine the best species to plant or introduce to the area.

Since this area will be your “garden” of sorts, these cameras will not only allow you to take a look into the underwater world in real-time but also track the progress of the growth in your marine garden. You will be able to follow along over the months and years as your corals grow and spread and create a lively habitat for dozens of species of fish and other marine animals. It could even give you an alert before you go swimming if there are sharks, jellyfish, rays, or other potentially dangerous animals in the area.

In addition to using this technology in conjunction with the SeaPods, it will also be possible to deploy the system in other places where there may not be a SeaPod. For example, it could be mounted on a bridge, a pier, or even on a floating buoy in the open water. Since this technology utilizes artificial intelligence, it will be continuously learning and improving itself over time to help anyone who needs to track the development of marine biodiversity.

Another of our hopes is that we can use this technology to get people excited about ocean conservation. With the rising popularity of wildlife live streams that show panda habitats or baby birds in a nest, we can broadcast a similar thing that shows the constantly bustling underwater world. In the age of the internet, we can increase the reach and get more people around the world taking a look beneath the surface of the water.

You can read more about this project in our Wiki. As always if you have expertise in camera technology, AI, engineering, and maybe most importantly for this project, a marine biologist, feel free to reach out if you would like to contribute to this or any of the other projects that we are currently working on. You can check out all of the projects that we are currently working on here. If you would like to help out with any of them then there is more information about how to make a submission on the Contribute page on the Ocean Builders website. We look forward to hearing from you soon!