eDNA Sampling Made Easy: The Pufferfish Family
The Aquatic Labs Pufferfish is an easy-to-use, compact, fast, and adaptive system for collecting and preserving large numbers of eDNA samples in situ.
SoloPuffer: Autonomous eDNA Sampling Wherever You Go
The SoloPuffer Sampler from Aquatic Labs is a miniaturized autonomous single-pump eDNA sampler built around the PufferFish family of pumps and modules.
SoloPuffer incorporates a hot-swappable battery, an array of optional integrated sensors to provide rich contextual data (CTD, GPS, DO, …), a wireless command and data interface, and access to the full array of PufferFish sample modules (filtration, water collection, preservation, etc) capable of collecting up to 6 independent samples and filtering a total of up to 500 liters – and fits it all into a package that is smaller than a 1.7 liter Niskin bottle (3.5” diameter and less than 24” long).
Equally suited for backpacking into remote mountain streams, diver-deploying on a coral reef, or strapping to a deep ocean lander, SoloPuffer is designed to be easily and safely deployed in the wild by non-specialist users with minimal risk of contamination.
SoloPuffer: Automated and Portable eDNA Sampler
Compact: Smaller than a 1.7L Niskin Bottle (9 cm diameter, <60 cm length)
Light: 2.5kg, 1.5kg in water
Robust: Designed to survive rough treatment, from longlines to backpacks
Battery: A hot-swappable battery pack enables autonomous deployments
Deep: Designed for deployment from mountain streams to 6000m deep
Sensitive: Rich contextual data (GPS, CTD, DO, etc) paired with each sample
**Next generation SoloPuffer under active development, specifications subject to change
MultiPuffer: High-Performance Automated eDNA Multi-Sampler
MultiPuffer packs an array of up to 16 high-performance Pufferfish pumps into a compact, robust, high-efficiency unit designed for tethered deployment on ROVs, AUVs, HOVs, docks, moorings, and other fixed infrastructure.
When large numbers of samples are needed, multiple MultiPuffer units can be daisy-chained to create large virtual units carrying hundreds of sample modules at a time, all controlled through a single cable and a unified user / vehicle interface.
The result is a system that is capable of processing far more water than a conventional Niskin carousel, fits in a fraction of the volume, enables more flexible sampling strategies, and requires far less skilled labor and time on deck or in the wet lab to collect and process samples.
MultiPuffer Features
Deep: Designed for deployments up to 6000m below the surface
Robust: Designed to survive deployment and recovery in rough seas
Easy to integrate: Seamlessly integrates onto ROV’s, AUVs, HOVs, CTD rosettes, landers, docks, moorings, or other fixed infrastructure
Programmable: Can be tethered for real-time control by a user/vehicle, or programmed for autonomous operation
Power: Requires 24V from a vehicle or battery via wet-mate connector
Pufferfish in the wild
MultiPuffer 18 Pump System deployed by National Geographic - Pristine Seas Program in Papa New Guinea
MultiPuffer 16 Pump System deployed on the ROV Hercules by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
