Testing waterways for DNA presence helps prevent the spread of invasive species and disease. Humans have always conducted such tests manually, but a new robot can now do it, making the entire process easier, more affordable, and faster.
A team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has developed an aquatic robot to test our waters. How does it work? What does it look like? Are robots now swimming through Montana’s rivers? Read on to find out.
In this article:
- What is this aquatic robot?
- Why is this important?
- Who created this aquatic robot?
- How does it work?
- What are the advantages of using aquatic robots to test our waterways?
- Are researchers regularly using these robots?
What is this aquatic robot?
This aquatic robot, also called an Environmental Sampler Processor (ESP), is essentially a robot that can independently collect water samples, quickly and accurately process them for DNA analysis, and determine the presence of invasive organisms.
Why is this important?
DNA testing of water samples in our natural waterways has always been done manually by humans. Some invasive species are especially difficult to detect and require multiple, frequent tests. It’s akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.
The aquatic robot, or ESP, allows scientists to conduct more accurate DNA tests at lower costs while easing the burden of manual sampling and analysis.
Who created this aquatic robot?
A group of researchers and specialists from various organizations originally teamed up in 2020 to develop and test this aquatic robot. The team includes:
- USGS researcher Elliot Barnhart from the Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY-MT WSC)
- Adam Sepulveda from the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)
- Colleagues from the WY-MT WSC, Idaho Water Science Center, and Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center
Study funding partially came from the USGS National Innovation Center, partnered with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).
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How does this aquatic robot work?
The aquatic robot, or ESP, conducts robotic environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling. Its its design is based on a robot for marine environment applications. The ESP automates water sample collection, filtration, preservation, and DNA analysis.
While I couldn’t find a breakdown of how this aquatic robot works in rivers, here’s what I gathered:
- The robot is placed near USGS streamgage sites in small cabins along the riverbank. This is unlike other water robots, which float, swim, or are submerged under water.
- A pump draws water from the river to the robot.
- The robot automatically filters and tests water samples for DNA presence.
- Line power or solar panels power the system.
Testing the robots
Researchers tested the ESP by deploying it on the Yellowstone River watershed in Montana and the Upper Snake River in Idaho. They suspected that automation might allow scientists to overcome some of the constraints of traditional, manual sampling and testing.
To confirm their hypothesis, they needed answers to several key questions: “How frequently can the ESP conduct tests?” and “are the results accurate?”.
The results
Researchers compared eDNA collected at a high frequency (ex., once every 3 hours) via the ESP aqua robot with manual eDNA collections at a lower frequency (ex., weekly). They found that the results from both were similar.
The ESP aqua robot successfully detected DNA from human and fish pathogens in its collected water samples at a rate comparable to traditional, manual methods. Samples from both collection methods produced similar data about DNA presence in the water.
These are positive results, and the advantages are multifold.
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What are the advantages of using aqua robots to test our waterways?
Here are the advantages of aquatic robotic sampling over manual sampling:
- Durability. The robot can withstand harsh environments and may be deployed safely in hazard zones, such as radioactive sites or where water-borne viruses are present.
- Access. The robot allows researchers to collect and test waterways in hard-to-access sites.
- 24/7 sampling. Scientists can program the aquatic robot to sample at any time, day or night. The robot can sample at a higher frequency (ex., hourly or daily) than is possible or cost-effective via human labor.
- Frequency. The aquanaut robot’s high-frequency detection capability helps detect species that aren’t widespread. Finding the DNA of such organisms is like searching for a needle in a haystack – you have to search through much more hay to detect it.
- Efficiency. The aquatic robot can collect and preserve water samples for later analysis.
- Speed. The aquatic robot can perform select rapid analyses.
- Coverage. The robot may help resource managers monitor for biological threats to waterways across wide geographic areas in shorter time periods.
- Cost-savings. Automatic sampling, filtering, preservation, and testing are more cost-effective than using manual methods.
Paired with the robots’ ability to communicate results to researchers from a remote location may allow early detection and warning of disease or other water-quality issues. This could give resource managers more time to limit invasive species from spreading and prevent widespread economic and ecological damage.
Read also: Is Montana safe?
Are researchers regularly using these robots?
As far as we know, these aquatic robots are currently in the research and testing phase, and they have not been deployed on a large scale.
Even if they deploy these robots on a larger scale, you won’t see robots swimming through Montana’s rivers. They aren’t underwater robots – they sit in cabins along the river banks at USGS streamgage sites.
The full potential of these aquatic robots remains to be seen. Researchers will know their full potential as they continue testing and development. Even if researchers deploy them at large, you probably wouldn’t even notice them on the water.
Detecting the Quagga and Zebra mussel with aquatic robots
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continues funding a project to detect the invasive Quagga and Zebra mussels – mussels that accumulate toxins as they filter water, which can be harmful to humans, birds, and dogs.
FAQ – Aquatic robots
Below are answers to a few commonly asked questions about aquatic robots.
What are the types of aquatic robots?
Aquatic robots float, swim, or crawl through freshwater or seawater, depending on their purpose. Some collect water data, while others study animals and their habitats, perform rescues, conduct resource exploration, assist with topographic mapping, or support engineering structure construction and maintenance.
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Header image: John Greenaway. Robot on the Taff. Flickr. Creative Commons
