by responsible deep-sea mining with impossible metals
US and Canada-based Impossible Metals company is building robotics underwater vehicles to collect battery metals from the ocean floor without disturbing the marine ecosystem. These underwater vehicles they are easily deployed from a ship to the seafloor and instantly activate the cameras and arms below them. As the vehicle hovers above the seafloor, the arms collect critical metals on the seafloor, avoiding rocks where animals can live, and keeping the marine habitat intact.
underwater vehicles are easily deployed from a ship | all images courtesy of Impossible Metals
turn society away from fossil fuels
As the world moves towards environmentally friendly energy solutions, the demand for reusable batteries is increasing day by day. These batteries require nickel and cobalt – and since less and less of these metals are deposited on land, people are looking to the ocean floor where they can be found in large concentrations in the form of polymetallic nodules.
Current prototypes for removing these nodules are based on conventional scanning technology. But their solution is better, according to Impossible Metals, not only because it prevents biodiversity loss, but also because it’s more economical. this of the company The prototype, named ‘Eureka 1’, was deployed at a depth of 25 meters and hovered above the ground while collecting a few tubers. The underwater vehicle works with sensors to navigate, identify and collect rocks. It also features a unique buoyancy propulsion system that helps the vehicle rise aboard with its load when full. During initial tests in November 2022, the Eureka 1 was connected to a communication cable to switch between manual and autonomous control, but the robot is expected to be fully autonomous in the future. Unlike other types of mining, the solution proposed by Impossible Metals leaves the ecosystem intact and gives society access to responsibly sourced metals to steer clear of fossil fuels.
When the robots reach the seafloor, they instantly activate the cameras and arms below them.
Preserving marine habitat intact as robots survey the seabed
The vehicle has a unique buoyancy propulsion system that helps it rise up to the ship.
when the vehicle is full it rises back to the ship
project information:
name: Eureka 1
company: Impossible Metals
merto katsikopoulou I’m designing a boom
13 December 2022
