Climate change is a very serious issue. By 2050 the Earth is expected to go up by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, which may not seem like a lot but can have repercussions for our way of life. Although serious intervention is needed by humans, nature has its own way of combating climate change, carbon dioxide absorption.

Seaweed is an aquatic plant that absorbs the carbon dioxide present in its surroundings and expels oxygen. Seaweed Generation, a tech startup founded by Patricia Estridge and Mike Allen, is in the midst of developing robots that will plant seaweed in our oceans in order to reduce the net total carbon emissions. Nicknamed “AlgaRays”, these manta ray-shaped robots sink the seaweed to the ocean floor in order to absorb carbon. In an interview with The Hustle Estridge says “Sargassum (seaweed) is an opportunity to remove billions of tons of carbon dioxide every year.”

These AlgaRays are in the preliminary stages of development, with a test project occurring in Antigua in order to see the inner workings of the robots. These robots being tested right now are only mini versions of AlgaRays. The final product will be 32 feet in width and will be able to carry 16 tons of seaweed.