The Wire

The crown of thorns starfish has been eating coral in mass outbreaks, causing widespread destruction on the great barrier reef.

But it could finally come to an end after Queensland researchers developed a world-first robot to administer a lethal injection to the starfish using new technology.

Dubbed Rangerbot, this underwater device was developed at the Queensland University of Technology in collaboration with Google and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

The crown of thorns starfish is one of three major problems facing the Great Barrier Reef, along with coral bleaching and cyclone damage.