Burlington Teen monitored the European Union Competition for Robot Turtle for European Union using AI

A student of a grade 10 in Burlington, Onts, expects a bionic turtle prize winner invention will help to secure and cleaner underwater ecosystem.

Ivan Budz developed an autonomous bio -turtle robot for ecological monitoring using Artificial Intelligence (AI). The invention won the first place in the European Union Competition for young scientists (EUCYS).

“With my project, I have created a robot that floats underwater as a sea turtle, and it is designed to conduct autonomous ecological monitoring, so it is capable of detecting a variety of dangers that can occur in an environment under a water, from coral bleaching to aggressive species,” they told the makya of CBC radio. Metro morning,

The 15-year-old Ivan was also awarded the Best Project (Innovation) at the 2025 Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) in Frederichton in June and was honored with the Alisan Sculators Award, earning an all-cost-paying trip to visit Oxford University in the United Kingdom in the United Kingdom.

An international program organized by the European Commission, Eucys, demonstrates scientific talent from all over the world. The 36th edition of the competition occurred in Riga, Latvia, and attracts scientists between 14 and 20 years of age from 40 countries. This year, the core awards included 7,000 euros (about $ 11,500 CDN) for each of the winners of four first place.

The 16 -year -old Calgary’s development CWSF 2025 Best Project (Discovery) was the winner and came second in EUCYS. Their research is focused on treatment-resistant schizophrenia, and the prototype drug he has designed is to restore normal brain function instead of suppressing symptoms.

Ivan said that the information collected by the robot turtle will “allow the relevant organizations to identify where these threats can be, raising awareness and supporting efforts to increase the overall health of the affected areas.”

He said that he made the robot as realistic as possible for a turtle, both in terms of general design and the method of swimming.

“So, essentially to swim through the water, it uses both flippers such as green sea turtles to achieve it.”

Ivan was motivated to create a robot, when he was holding the camp and watching a turtle turtle swimming.

“This was actually fluid and natural movement, which inspired me to develop this robot for ecological monitoring,” he said.

“For ecological monitoring, I want to be as low as possible in terms of environmental disruption. Therefore, by copying a turtle, I can make sure that I do not disrupt or disturbed any other organisms while operating the monitor.”

Ivan said he tested the device in his grandparents backyard pool, and in terms of his ability to detect repeated coral bleaching, he found that it demonstrated 96 percent accuracy.

He said that the results of the test showed the “accuracy and reliability” of the robot, and “promised how it is going to be able to detect these different threats in the real-world environment, before they significantly affect the ecosystem and cause harmful damage.”

A notable innovation

Youth Science Canadian Executive Director Renee Barlo said Ivan and Sara’s projects perform remarkable ability to deal with some of the world’s most challenges in the world.

Barlo said in an email to CBC News, “Ivan’s success in EUCYS 2025 suggests that his project is actually global – a notable innovation that reflects the ability to deal with the complex technical and environmental challenges of Canadian youth.”

Chandra Sharma, President of Protection Holton and CEO, congratulated Ivan for his project and EUCYS Award.

Sharma told CBC Hamilton in an email, “We appreciate Ivan’s design approach, who monitors ecosystems without harassing them;

“Ivan’s commitment to marine protection and his use of innovation is incredibly inspiring, and we are eager to see where Ivan’s work will take him – and the field of protection in overall protection. Great work, continue Evan.”