Canadian teenager Evan Budz has built an autonomous AI robot turtle that swims on its own and detects microplastics in lakes with 94% accuracy. The 16-year-old spent roughly 4,000 hours on the bionic sea turtle and its underwater holographic camera, winning a $50,000 scholarship at the 2026 Regeneron ISEF. His goal: replace slow, expensive lab testing with on-the-spot microplastic detection in remote water bodies. Canadian teenager Evan Budz has built an autonomous AI robot turtle that swims on its own and detects microplastics in lakes with 94% accuracy. The 16-year-old spent roughly 4,000 hours on the bionic sea turtle and its underwater holographic camera, winning a $50,000 scholarship at the 2026 Regeneron ISEF. His goal: replace slow, expensive lab testing with on-the-spot microplastic detection in remote water bodies.
