MIT spinout Coastal Assembly deploys artificial reef to restore Maldives beach
Coastal Assembly, a startup founded by MIT researchers, installed an artificial reef off a Marriott resort island in the Maldives two years ago to combat beach erosion. The project offered an alternative to sand dredging, a common erosion fix that provides only temporary relief and can damage marine ecosystems. The reef is designed to work with natural coastal processes to help rebuild the shoreline over time.