A robotic dodecahedron that can collect tissue samples from deep-sea animals for later genetic analysis could speed up the identification of unknown species
By Matthew Sparkes
17 January 2024
The robotic dodecahedron (circled) mounted on a submersible
Brennan Phillips
A robotic dodecahedron can capture fragile deep-sea animals to collect tissues samples and construct three-dimensional scans of the creatures, potentially speeding up the cataloguing of the up to 66 per cent of ocean species that are yet to be described by science.
Brennan Phillips at the University of Rhode Island and his colleagues developed the RAD2 sampler, designed to mount on any submersible, to collect fresh tissue samples from living animals in situ. They hope this will reveal more about the creatures than existing techniques, which typically put them under stress as they are hauled from the depths.
Advertisement
RAD2 is a dodecahedron with an internal volume large enough to hold a basketball. It is designed to fold and unfold on command to temporarily capture creatures for closer examination, taking a small tissue sample that is preserved directly on the submersible for later genetic analysis.
Read more
Animal motion-capture studio tracks bird flocks and insect swarms
The ultimate aim is to take a small biopsy and then release the animal relatively unharmed, but RAD2’s current technique – called tissue cleaving – is “a bit cruder”, says Phillips.