Swiss Students Create Robot Fish for DNA Collection

Approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the nearest sea, engineering students at Switzerland’s ETH Zurich are developing advanced robots that could transform how we study the world’s oceans.

This is part of a series of soft robotic fish created by the SURF-eDNA team, a student-led group that has been working on these robots for the past two years.

Dennis Baumann, a master’s student, explained to CNN that Eve’s fish-like appearance helps it blend seamlessly into the ecosystem it’s monitoring. “By mimicking a fish, we minimize our impact on the environment,” he said. “Our biomimetic design helps us integrate into the ecosystem without disturbing other marine life.”

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Enhancing Stealth and Functionality in Aquatic Research

The autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is also equipped with a camera to film underwater, and sonar, which when paired with an algorithm, allows it to avoid obstacles.

The AUV also features a filter to collect DNA from the environment, known as “eDNA,” as it swims.

All of the animals that are in the environment, they shed their DNA so there’s DNA floating around that we can find Martina Luthi a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich, told CNN.The students hope that Eve will be able to give scientists a more detailed picture of the oceans and their inhabitants. Despite covering more than 70% of our planet, much of what lies below the surface remains a mystery.

Tools such as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles are becoming more common for exploring the ocean and studying underwater environments.

Rising Adoption of eDNA for Tracking Biodiversity

More advanced tools capable of providing detailed environmental analysis could be crucial for more effectively safeguarding the world’s oceans.

Baumann stated, “Our goal is to develop a dependable tool for biologists.

” He expressed hope that in the future, their technology could be scaled up to be available to any scientist who wishes to use it. “Perhaps we can help prevent species from becoming endangered or going extinct.”

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