Ontario teenager Evan Budz has developed a bionic underwater monitor that looks and moves like a turtle.
According to CBC, the 10th grader has been racking up accolades, including a first place award in the European Union Young Scientists Contest.
“Aquatic habitats are vital to humanity, and routine surveys of these environments have become critical,” Budz said in a YouTube video.
Traditional monitoring usually involves machines that produce strong currents and noise that can damage the ecosystem and harm marine life.
Budz’s innovation mimics green turtles, exploiting their natural ability to move through water with harmless ease, according to Youth Science Canada.
While published images show a creation that resembles a real turtle, it is enhanced with artificial intelligence that allows it to autonomously walk at depth on a predetermined route to monitor coral health and other crucial underwater metrics.
“Evan’s success … demonstrates that his project is truly world-class – a remarkable innovation that demonstrates the ability of young Canadians to tackle complex technical and environmental challenges,” YSC executive director Reni Barlow told CBC.
Global warming is a particularly vexing problem for our oceans, which absorb about 91% of Earth’s excess heat. Warming waters are causing coral bleaching, melting glaciers, and other concerns, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The decline in coral health has led some experts to preserve as much of it as they can as part of a kind of Noah’s Ark project for crucial marine species. Meanwhile, on land, trail cameras are serving a similar purpose as Budz’s false tortoise by recording footage of rare, often unseen species, which also provide evidence of their health.
The appearance of the turtle required all kinds of unique knowledge to create. Ripley’s Aquarium experts were consulted to help better understand the animal’s movements. High-tech ballast systems, waterproof cameras, and special servos help keep the underwater spy on task, according to YSC.
Budz said in the clip that he was inspired to build the unit while observing a real sea turtle on a camping trip.
The system will now be tested in more rigorous conditions with a growing list of tasks, such as collecting water samples, for each YSC
“I demonstrated the viability of my robot to help protect sensitive marine ecosystems,” the 15-year-old added in the clip.
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