Aquatic Robot Boosts Species Monitoring, Hydropower

eDNA-bot collects, processes, and analyzes environmental DNA samples in real-time

Apr. 1, 2026 at 4:38am

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Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have partnered with a private company to create an autonomous, field-ready aquatic robot called the 'eDNA-bot' that collects, processes, and analyzes samples of environmental DNA, sharing data in real-time. The invention uses artificial intelligence to enable independent decision-making and could revolutionize biological monitoring by providing more comprehensive results at lower cost than conventional surveying methods.

Why it matters

The eDNA-bot has the potential to streamline environmental assessments that are part of the hydropower licensing process, in addition to facilitating other efforts such as detection of invasive species or monitoring wastewater for pathogens. It provides a less invasive and more comprehensive alternative to traditional biological surveying techniques like netting, trapping, and electrofishing.

The details

The eDNA-bot would collect water samples and analyze environmental DNA, which is genetic material dispersed into a given habitat by the organisms within it. This is an alternative to standard surveying methods that require catching organisms, which can be expensive, laborious, and damaging to the habitat. The bot could conduct biomonitoring at remote locations and access sites that are too dangerous or difficult for human surveyors. Researchers are working to make the eDNA-bot rugged enough to withstand highly corrosive saltwater environments.

  • In 2020, researchers at ORNL kicked off experiments to evaluate the use of eDNA technology for biomonitoring at hydropower facilities.
  • ORNL recently patented the eDNA-bot technology.

The players

Kristine Moody

A molecular ecologist at ORNL and the project lead for the eDNA-bot.

Brenda Pracheil

A fisheries biologist at PNNL and the co-inventor of the eDNA-bot.

Smith-Root, Inc.

A Vancouver, Washington-based producer of biological surveying equipment that has signed a cooperative research and development agreement to commercialize the eDNA-bot.

Peter Wang

An ORNL staff scientist at the DOE Manufacturing Demonstration Facility with expertise in robotics, automation, additive manufacturing, and sensors.

Brian Post

An ORNL staff scientist at the DOE Manufacturing Demonstration Facility with expertise in robotics, automation, additive manufacturing, and sensors.

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What they’re saying

“It saves us as a company from having to do the R&D internally. There's a huge capital expense to designing a system like this. Some of the components of this system are at an R&D level that we can't achieve, so having the engineering and biology staff of the national labs available to develop that technology is a huge benefit. It reduces our risk as a company.”

— Austen Thomas, Scientist, Smith-Root, Inc.

“It would let us sample continuously and unobtrusively for months at a time. The bot also would allow us to access sites that are too remote or too dangerous to easily accommodate human surveyors.”

— Kristine Moody, Molecular Ecologist, ORNL

What’s next

Researchers will focus on making the eDNA-bot rugged enough to withstand highly corrosive saltwater environments and will test the bot at PNNL's marine research center in Sequim, Washington.

The takeaway

The eDNA-bot represents a significant advancement in biological monitoring technology, providing a less invasive and more comprehensive alternative to traditional surveying methods. Its potential applications extend beyond hydropower to a wide range of aquatic research and monitoring efforts.