2026-Jan-30
Turtle Power! Teen's Robotic Innovation Shines at Great Lake Symposium
Evan Budz, a Grade 10 student from Burlington, Ontario, is revolutionizing underwater conservation with his innovative robotic turtle. Originally inspired by watching a snapping turtle swim while on a camping trip, Evan designed his bionic turtle to mimic real turtle motions while detecting underwater threats like coral bleaching and invasive species. This approach minimizes ecosystem disruption and provides timely data to help better protect aquatic ecosystems.
His project has earned him first prize at the Canada-Wide Science Fair and the European Union Contest for Young Scientists and was showcased at the Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative (GLFEI) Coastal Areas symposium in December.
Evan is now working on adding new functions to detect more environmental threats with a dream to deploy “fleets” of these bionic turtle robots globally.
Watch the video to see Evan talk about his innovation.