Collecting eDNA samples in marine environments for deciding on ocean infrastructure permitting, monitoring fish stocks, and researching the changes in ocean biodiversity can reach £600 per sample if done through a formal survey provider. And to get a clear picture of an area, the number of samples a researcher will need ranges significantly but is typically somewhere between 20 and 60 samples. This is makes biodiversity sampling quite expensive when done through formal channels.
One of the biggest contributors to the price is the cost of having a boat, with a trained crew, that is capable of collecting the samples with minimal contamination. We realized if you could make the sample collection simple, consistent, and contamination-proof, you could open up the market for sampling services to anyone else who has access to the water - in the most extreme case, fishers.
We designed the device to be launched off of the boat then automatically take a consistent sample based on a pre-programed sampling protocol needed for the research. The device lands in the water, reaches a depth of up to ~10 meters, and takes the sample for 5-10 minutes. The device can then be reeled back in to the boat and sealed with a preservative.
Once in the lab, it is able to opened and processed in the same way that the existing filters are. The component parts are then able to be autoclaved, charged and sent back out to collect more samples.
My role was to lead the CAD design, prototyping, and testing of the device, which included designing a magnetic motor coupling that worked through the sealed walls of the vessel and a custom pump housing and internal fluid routing system that built off of old-expired patent designs of a diaphragm pump.
The actual build of the device was done in a really fun but intense 3 week sprint.
The majority of the project was spent on the the research and development of the product direction and strategy, for which we took a couple of field trips out to the South Coast of England, where we visited oyster farms, mussel processing facilities, accidentally drove illegally, even dealt with a broken ankle while traversing some rocks. All to get a better understanding of the needs and constraints of the product, and to build relationships with potential users.
A really rewarding project with an amazing team.
