Automatic Fluid Sampler

The field
sampler,
reimagined.

SYP collects up to 58 precisely timestamped water samples over a 12-month deployment — unattended, in the most demanding environments on earth.

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SYP Mark III Automatic Fluid Sampler
SYP Mark III Born at the University of Waikato
Spun out 2024 · Hamilton, NZ

"Sample smarter for richer data."

Capacity58 vials
Battery life12+ months
Sample modes4
ConfigurationWi-Fi app
Operating range−10 °C to 50 °C
Trusted by researchers worldwide
25
Active deployments
6 continents · 9+ countries
6+
Years of
field development
Science
Advances
Published in
peer-reviewed literature
9+
Universities & institutions
Including a global top-10 & multiple
top-100 ranked universities
SYP in the wild

Where SYP has been.

Grutas Tzabnah · Yucatán · Science Advances 2025

Reconstructing Classic Maya droughts

David Hodell, Ola Kwiecen, Daniel James and co-authors deployed SYP in Grutas Tzabnah to collect weekly 15 ml drip-water samples over a full year — providing data for a speleothem reconstruction of drought events during the Classic Maya period, published in Science Advances.

James et al. · doi:10.1126/sciadv.adw7661 · University of Cambridge & co-institutions
Crystal Cave · Sierra Nevada, California · UC Davis

150 m underground, beneath a sequoia forest

Dr Yuval Burstyn deployed SYP in Crystal Cave — 150 metres beneath a giant sequoia forest in the Sierra Nevadas — where it autonomously collected 31 samples from atmospheric river events over six months. Data presented at the Climate Change and the Karst Record conference, Cape Town 2025.

PI: Isabel Montanez · Deployment: Dr Yuval Burstyn · UC Davis
Garra de Jaguar Cave · Yucatán, Mexico · UF & UNAM

SYP MkIII enters the Yucatán

Oana Dumitru (University of Florida) and Fernanda Lases-Hernández (UNAM) installed a MkIII SYP — complete with rain jacket — among the stalactites of a Yucatán cave, gathering autonomous samples through the season.

Oana Dumitru · University of Florida & Fernanda Lases-Hernández · UNAM
Oregon Caves National Monument · UC Davis & Oregon State

Sampling without disturbing the bats

UC Davis PhD student Kesego Letshele installed SYP in Oregon Caves National Monument to quietly collect drip water through winter — without disturbing the hibernating bat population. Exactly the kind of long-term autonomous deployment that manual sampling makes impossible.

Kesego Letshele · UC Davis · PI: Kathleen Wendt · Oregon State
Science Advances · Vol.11 No.33 · 13 Aug 2025
"Drip water was collected using a SYP (Waikato Scientific Instruments, waikatoscientific.com) autosampler, beneath an active drip... The SYP collected the first 15 ml of drip water to accumulate in each 7-day interval in 15-ml sealed polypropylene sampling vials."
James et al. · Classic Maya response to multiyear seasonal droughts · doi:10.1126/sciadv.adw7661
Peer-reviewed citation · Methods section

Named in Science Advances

SYP is cited by name — with URL — in the methods section of a peer-reviewed paper in Science Advances. The instrument's data contributed to a major reconstruction of Classic Maya drought response, one of the most significant palaeoclimate findings of 2025.

1 / 5
The problem we solved

Field sampling shouldn't
require a field trip
every two weeks.

01 — Remote access

The site is hours away

Cave dripwaters, mountain springs, remote catchments — the most scientifically interesting sites are the hardest to reach. Manual sampling regimes quickly become logistically impossible, or simply too dangerous.

02 — Data continuity

You miss the events that matter

Storm events, seasonal transitions, episodic flow pulses — the moments that answer your research questions rarely happen on a convenient schedule. If you're not there, you lose the sample.

03 — No off-the-shelf solution

Nothing was built for this

Existing autosamplers were designed for wastewater treatment plants and industrial monitoring — heavy, mains-powered, and oblivious to the realities of field science. SYP was designed from scratch for researchers who go to hard places.

Why SYP

Built for where
science actually happens.

01
58vials

Rotating sample carousel

Screw-in polypropylene vials with self-healing THERMOLAST® stoppers. Full-vial detection timestamps each sample automatically and advances to the next, with a purge cycle to eliminate cross-contamination.

02
12months

Battery life

An 8 Ah rechargeable LiPo pack powers SYP for over a year at one sample per week. Leave it, forget it, retrieve it — your data will be waiting.

03
2modes

Gravity & pump sampling

Gravity mode for cave dripwaters and rain gauges — no moving parts in the fluid path. Pump mode extends capability to surface water and groundwater where gravity isn't sufficient.

04
65,000hr range

Flexible sampling triggers

Schedule by time interval (1 to 65,000 hours), delayed start, continuous flow-proportional capture, or via external 12V trigger from a Campbell Scientific logger or similar.

05
Wi-Ficonfig

Phone or laptop, in the field

Configure and monitor SYP from any device via a built-in web app — no specialist software. Download timestamped sample logs as CSV files directly in the field.

06
Fieldserviceable

Modular, split-body design

SYP separates into two halves for transport. Transparent acrylic housing, stainless fasteners, custom laser-sintered components, adjustable levelling feet. Built to be maintained in the field, not sent back to a lab.

How it works

Configure once.
Deploy anywhere.

Gravity
Pump
External

Gravity mode

Designed for collecting fluid drips from a height — cave dripwaters, rain gauges, spring seeps. Water flows into the machine by gravity alone; no pump means no mechanical contamination risk and simpler maintenance.

Supports timed, delayed-start, and continuous flow-proportional sampling. Full vial detection ensures consistent sample volume and logs fill time so you can infer flow rate from timestamps.

Cave hydrology Speleothem research Rain gauges Spring seeps

Pump mode

A peristaltic pump draws water from a reservoir or surface water body into vials at precisely user-defined intervals. Ideal for sites where gravity flow is insufficient — cramped setups, low hydraulic head, or active groundwater monitoring.

The pump runs for a pre-determined duration per sample, with full vial detection to validate volume. Supports timed and delayed start modes.

Groundwater monitoring Surface water Stormwater Wetlands

External trigger mode

SYP responds passively to a 12V pulse from an external datalogger or controller — perfect for flow-proportional sampling setups where sampling decisions are made by a third-party sensor network. SYP simply executes the sample on command.

Logger integration Flow-proportional Event sampling

Technical specifications

Sample capacity58 × 15 ml polypropylene vials with bungs
Battery life>12 months at 1 sample/week
Battery type8 Ah rechargeable LiPo (removable)
Sampling interval1 to 65,000 hours (user-defined)
Sample methodGravity or peristaltic pump
Trigger modesTimed, delayed start, continuous, external
ConnectivityWi-Fi (device-hosted access point)
Operating temp.−10 °C to +50 °C
ConstructionWater-resistant acrylic case, stainless fasteners, 3D-sintered parts, waterproof stepper motor, conformal-coated PCB
Vial stoppersSelf-healing THERMOLAST® K TF5FMA
Carry bag180 g vinyl, padded straps (Access Gear)
Onboard sensorsTemperature, humidity, air pressure
Data exportCSV via Wi-Fi browser interface
Firmware updatesOTA via Wi-Fi (.SYP file)
Warranty18 months from purchase
Packages

Ready to deploy,
out of the box.

All packages are priced in NZD excl. GST. We recommend the Expedition package for most deployments — it includes everything you need from the car to the field site.

Package 01
Base
From NZD $13,200 + GST
  • SYP Mark III fluid sampler
  • 58 × sample vials with bungs
  • 4 m Tygon inlet tubing
  • Rechargeable LiPo battery & charger
  • Wi-Fi configuration interface
  • User manual & quick-start guide
  • 18-month warranty
Request a quote
Recommended
Package 02
Expedition
From NZD $15,700 + GST
  • Everything in Base
  • Peristaltic pump module
  • SYP carry bag (purpose-built, by Access Gear) ×2
  • SYP rain jacket (weatherproof cover)
  • Spare vials set
  • Priority support & onboarding call
  • 18-month warranty
Request a quote

Custom configurations available. Contact us to discuss your deployment requirements.

Get in touch

Ready to leave the
sampling to SYP?

Tell us about your site and we'll recommend the right configuration and get you a quote within 48 hours.

Or email us at [email protected]