CNN's 'Tech for Good' spotlights next generation of innovators revolutionizing ocean conservation

HONG KONG , Aug. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Our oceans are critical to life on Earth, but they face unprecedented challenges. Experts are now turning to cutting-edge technology to better study, explore, and protect this vital frontier, with university students at the forefront of these efforts. In the fifth season premiere of 'Tech for Good', CNN anchor and correspondent Kristie Lu Stout explores the latest marine innovations, from underwater drones that map the seafloor to devices restoring corals on the Great Barrier Reef. 'Tech for Good' showcases the students developing technologies that could shape the future of our oceans.  This season on 'Tech for Good', we will also highlight some of this marine technology in a special final episode, taped in front of a live studio audience, that will air on November 30, 2024. Your input will help us decide what projects to feature. Vote for your favorite story here: https://bit.ly/3YlU3SL

Students at California State University, Monterey Bay have developed an array of miniaturized and less invasive shark tags to better understand the behavior and movement of juvenile great white sharks in California. CNN spoke to lab technician and incoming master's student Dylan Moran who develops the motion-sensing tags and also uses drones and underwater cameras to film the ocean predators. CNN also met with high school student, Ishaan Gupta, who has developed an AI model that uses underwater footage captured by the university students to determine the health of these sharks.

CNN then visits Switzerland, where engineering students at ETH Zurich are developing "Eve" the robot fish. The autonomous underwater vehicle can film beneath the ocean depths and collect eDNA samples, all while blending into its marine environment thanks to its fish-like design. The team hopes that Eve will be able to give scientists a more detailed picture of our oceans.

Excessive human activities and rising sea temperatures are threatening coral reefs around the world. CNN meets with young scholars at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), who are developing innovative ways to help restore corals on the Great Barrier Reef, including creating seeding devices and coral "bio glue". It is part of AIMS' goal to deliver one million resilient baby corals onto the reef by the end of 2025.

Tech for Good trailers: https://bit.ly/3yj358y

Tech for Good images: https://bit.ly/4c4dVNp

Tech for Good microsite: https://cnn.it/3PB5DSq

Airtimes for 30-minute special:

Saturday, 3^rd August at 6:30pm HKT

Sunday, 4^th August at 9:30am HKT

Monday, 5^th August at 1:30am and 11am HKT

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