Development of an AI-Robot-IoT Platform for Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation

Successful applicants will join VinUniversity’s Smart Green Transformation Center (GREEN-X), College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS), as Research assistants / Master’s students / PhD students.

Project Information

This project focuses on creating an advanced AI, Ocean Robot, and IoT-based platform to protect and restore coral reefs in Nha Trang Bay, Vietnam – one of the region’s most critical marine biodiversity hotspots.

As climate change and environmental pollution pose severe threats to marine ecosystems, the project proposes a solution using ocean robots, underwater sensors, cameras, and smart data analytics to track reef health in real-time.

The system is designed to provide early warnings of environmental stress, such as coral bleaching, enabling timely restoration actions. Beyond protecting local marine biodiversity, the project strengthens VinUni’s role in high-impact research and innovation, creating a scalable model for other protected areas in Vietnam and globally.

The project team includes: Asst. Prof. Phung Manh Duong (Principal Investigator) | Asst. Prof. Nguyen Van Dinh | Dr. Dinh Van Dung. 

Research Objectives

Building upon these foundational pillars, the core objectives of the project are:

(i) To develop ocean robots: Design and develop ocean robotic platforms, including surface vehicles (USVs) and underwater robots (ROVs, AUVs, mini-submarines), along with solutions for localization, navigation, mapping, and large-scale data collection of seabed ecosystems.

(ii) To design an underwater IoT sensor network: Developing monitoring devices capable of stable operation in marine environments to collect data on temperature, salinity, light, and water quality.

(iii) To develop AI algorithms for image analysis: Constructing computer vision models for automated detection of coral health status and classification of marine species from underwater camera feeds.

(iv) To establish an early warning and decision-support platform: Designing intelligent dashboards to help conservation agencies and local communities monitor ecosystem fluctuations and implement emergency response measures.

Project Contact 

For further information, please contact Asst. Prof. Phung Manh Duong via email: [email protected] 

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