A cutting-edge marine platform designed to revolutionize coral reef monitoring and mapping called ReefVision Robotics was field tested in Kāneʻohe Bay by University of Hawaiʻi researchers.

The successful trial, conducted at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) in September, represents a step toward a more scalable and highly accurate method for monitoring and mapping coral reefs. The project’s initial targets are invasive macroalgae species and marine debris but the technology can be used to detect many coral reef organisms. This test served as one of several trial runs before the technology is deployed in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in summer 2026.

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