Fri, 07 Mar 2025

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 Deep-sea mining tech advances but doubts remain

Despite opposition investors are still looking at deep-sea mining technology.

* Researchers have developed a robot that uses AI to detect and avoid lifeforms on the seafloor, reducing potential environmental impacts.
* The robot's arms are similar to those used in automated warehouses, optimized for speed and minimizing sediment disturbance.
* The firm Impossible Metals claims its system is 95% accurate at detecting lifeforms of 1mm or greater in size.
* However, opponents argue that deep-sea mining is a highly controversial means of obtaining metals due to its potential environmental impacts.
* Scars left by past mining experiments have been severe, and wildlife has not fully returned to affected areas decades later.
* Several companies are working on different techniques for deep-sea mining, including robotic arms and saw-based devices.
* The Metals Company is planning to file an application for deep-sea mining in the Pacific Ocean with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) this year.
* Critics argue that deep-sea mining would remove the substrate of life from the seafloor, regardless of technology used.
* Some experts suggest that the market for metals sought by deep-sea mining firms is volatile and may not support the business case for deep-sea mining.
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