Pedro Nuno Marques

Abstract
The eDNA autonomous biosampler results from a line of research aimed at developing systems for sampling and collecting marine biological data, and for collecting environmental DNA. Environmental DNA is a tool that has been increasingly used in the biological monitoring of aquatic environments, as it is a non-invasive method with very promising results when it comes to assessing biological diversity. In this sense, the automation of this method has the potential to greatly increase the temporal and spatial resolution of current biological monitoring programs in aquatic environments. The system has been developed in a partnership between research teams at the Centre for Robotics and Autonomous Systems (CRAS - INESC TEC) and CIIMAR and has been tested in multiple operational scenarios, including the Arctic, where it was attached to the AUV IRIS.

Abstract
Water bodies are complex and interconnected systems that play a crucial role in both our environment and our economy. Studying these water bodies is therefore essential but collecting and analyzing water samples can be challenging, particularly when dealing with large volumes of water. This article presents a system capable of autonomously filtering large volumes of water through standard marine biology filters and preserving them to later be analyzed. The system's preliminary results are presented in this paper.