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Collaborated with

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Sponsored by

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UTokyo 
Ushioda 
Foundation

AWARDS

Shortlist

Featured in 
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OUR GOAL

Designing a new mechanism for marine environmental conservation, where everyone grows coral and protects the ocean.

AN ECOSYSTEM FOR CORAL RESCUE

TRAINING

Learn on how to raise corals

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RECEIVE

Receive coral

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GROW

Nurture corals at home

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PLANT

Returns coral to the ocean

HARDWARE

This is an IoT kit for managing water quality for coral growing. It works in conjunction with an app to measure temperature and pH levels, take photos of the tank, and measure the water level, notifying the user as needed.

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THE APP

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HOME

Overview of the condition of your reef tank

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GRAPH

Displaying the sensed data

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SCHEDULER

View the to-do list

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TEST RESULTS

Enter your water test results

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CORAL EMBEDDING STRUCTURE

This structure is used to return coral to the sea. We plan to plant corals on this structure and return them to the sea. Using Coral Rescue Kits, local elementary and junior high school students will grow pieces of an endangered species of "Eda-Midoriishi" coral that have broken off. Afterwards, they will be planted in this structure.

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WORKSHOP SESSIONS

We conducted educational workshops in Japan and the U.S. In these workshops, students grow corals using our coral rescue IoT system and develop solution ideas for coral bleaching.

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Kitazono High School, Tokyo

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Glen Allen High School, VA

TEAM

Tomomi Sayuda

Design Director 
DLX Design Lab
The University of Tokyo

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Nastassja Lewinski

Collaboration Scientist Virginia Commonwealth University

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Hemal Diaz

Design Engineer 
DLX Design Lab
The University of Tokyo

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Toh Tai Chong

Collaboration Scientist National University of Singapore

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Shota Kiuchi

Product Designer
DLX Design Lab
The University of Tokyo

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Sam Shu Qin

Collaboration Scientist National University of Singapore

UPDATES

BACKGROUND

Coral Rescue is an experience design project to encourage the general public in coral conservation. Coral reefs are home to 25% of marine species, and global cooperative conservation is needed to ensure their long-term preservation. The project aims 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. We have designed a self-growing coral IoT 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 educational programs to educate people about the issues and encourage engagement. The project has been informed and inspired by the coral conservation research activities of Tropical Marine Science InstituteI at NUS, in particular those undertaken by Toh Tai Chong and Sam Shu Qin. We are currently collaborating with Associate Professor Nastassja Lewinski, a bioengineer at Virginia Commonwealth University in the U.S., on a global educational program for high school students from Kitazono High School in Tokyo and Glen Allen High School in Richmond, USA, to learn about coral growth and generate ideas with using our Coral Rescue IoT kit and education program. The project plans to use Coral Rescue kits to help local elementary and junior high school students grow and returns the endangered Japanese coral 'Edasango', found in the waters of Numazu, Japan, back to the sea next year. The project is supported by Professor Nina Yasuda of the University of Tokyo, who studies the northernmost coral communities, Associate Professor Masako Nakamura of Tokai University, and Kazuya Asakura of the Hirasawa Marine Center, a local ocean expert. To ensure the survival of corals that have been broken off due to physical factors, the plan involves planting corals on a fixed foundation that does not harm the natural environment and eventually returning them to the sea, with the rule that they must be returned to their original habitat to avoid genetic disruption.

Initially, this project started as 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). The design director is Tomomi Sayuda from the DLX Design Lab, at UTokyo who has been kindly hosted at NUS by the DID and the Keio-NUS CUTE Center.

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DLX Design Lab, Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo

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