The endeavor to create islands using ocean currents in the Maldives.

Off one atoll, just south of the Maldives’ capital, Malé, researchers are exploring innovative methods to capture sand in strategic locations to grow islands, rebuild beaches, and protect coastal communities from rising sea levels. Swim 10 minutes out into the En’boodhoofinolhu Lagoon, and you’ll find the Ramp Ring, a unique structure composed of six durable geotextile bladders. These submerged bags are part of the Growing Islands project, which features a distinct design formed like a pair of parentheses, separated by 90 meters (approximately 300 feet).

The bladders, each about two meters tall, were deployed in December 2024, and underwater images taken by February showcased that sand had climbed about a meter and a half up the surface of each one. This outcome demonstrates how passive structures can efficiently replenish beaches and ultimately establish a solid foundation for new land. “There’s just a ton of sand in there. It’s really looking good,” says Skylar Tibbits, an architect and founder of the MIT Self-Assembly Lab, which is collaborating with the Malé-based climate tech company Invena on this initiative.

The Self-Assembly Lab focuses on designing material technologies that can be programmed to transform or “self-assemble” in air or water, utilizing natural forces like gravity, wind, waves, and sunlight. Their innovations include sheets of wood fiber that morph into three-dimensional structures when exposed to water, which researchers hope could pave the way for tool-free flat-pack furniture.

The Growing Islands project is their largest-scale venture to date. Since 2017, it has deployed ten experiments in the Maldives, testing various materials, locations, and strategies, including inflatable structures and mesh nets. The Ramp Ring is significantly larger than previous deployments and aims to address their most substantial limitation.

In the Maldives, the direction of currents changes with the seasons. Earlier experiments could only capture one seasonal flow, leaving them inactive for months. In contrast, the Ramp Ring is “omnidirectional,” allowing it to capture sand throughout the year. “It’s basically a big ring, a big loop, and no matter which monsoon season or wave direction, it accumulates sand in the same area,” Tibbits explains.