It has raised worldwide attention in recent years that crown-of-thorns starfish prey upon corals and inflict great damage on coral reef ecosystems where they are at high density.

To tackle this problem, Qingdao-based Robotfish Marine Technology Co developed an underwater robot that kills the marine creature by injecting potions into their bodies, commissioned by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, early this year.

The submersible weighs less than 10 kilograms. Equipped with four high-power, brushless thrusters, it moves with agility at 150 meters under water. The stability and precision of its performances are among the best in the field.

The small-sized device is designed with a bright yellow color. It has been fielded at South China Sea to protect coral reef ecosystems. And an upgraded version was launched shortly before with lighter weight and stronger flow resistance to target the aquaculture industry.

To promote the applications among the general public, the company plans to build a remote control system that allows individual users to experience the operation of underwater robot products via their own digital devices. The technology director of the company, Fan Ping has been working on the system lately. Fan believes that miniaturization will be the trend of underwater robot development in the future.

Established in 2013, Robotfish has made a name for itself in oceanographic observation equipment and oceanic sensors, supplying custom made products to a diverse clientele covering aquaculture, hydropower, fishery, and deep diving, with 90 percent of its underwater robots linked to internet of things being domestically produced.