Communications of the ACM
Reforming Coral Reefs Using 3D Printing
The reefs are made of a naturally porous ceramic that provides what the researchers described as the most ideal construction and restoration needs to the affected area, or for the establishment of a new reef structure as a foundation for the continuation
Credit: Haim Zinger, Ofer Berman
Researchers at Israel's Bar-Ilan University, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, University of Haifa, and Tel Aviv University have developed a three-dimensional (3D) printing technique to help preserve coral reefs.
The process incorporates 3D-scanning algorithms to analyze underwater photographs of coral reefs, environmental DNA sampling of the reef's organisms, and a 3D-printing algorithm that tailors the printed model to a specific reef environment.
The 3D-printed reef is comprised of a type of ceramic that is naturally porous underwater.
Said Bar-Ilan University's Natalie Levy, "Existing artificial reefs have difficulty replicating the complexity of coral habitats and hosting reef species that mirror natural environments. We introduce a novel customizable 3D interface for producing scalable structures, utilizing real data collected from coral ecosystems."
From Bar-Ilan University (Israel)
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2022 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA
No entries found