https://www.nacrom.com/home daily 1.0 2022-11-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd4053670d446cb9d33bc/1599940289108-BVO2E098KOAEUQJ2E50S/High_res_deepsea_mining_named_not_numbered4pt_ln_wt_2.jpg Home Proposed Pliant Energy nodule mining method using robot swarm Environmental Benefits: Minimal contact with sediment layer. Semi-autonomous swarm robots identify nodules harboring life and record but do not touch. Fauna database created for marine scientists. Undulating thruster of Pliant Energy Systems C-Ray robot creates minimal sediment disturbance. Nodules may even be swapped with low-value stones to maintain substrate for marine organisms. Economic Benefits: No expensive riser for lower CAPEX. Production can begin small and scale-up by adding robots. Robots developed through rapid iterations and testing not possible with giant crawlers hand built at ship yards. Economies of scale through mass production of robots on assembly line brings costs down. Pliant’s C-Ray robots have very high thrust/Watt for long battery life, very high maneuverability and rapid local position change for fast nodule collection. Malfunctioning robots can be quickly returned to surface on rising nodule cages for repair or replacement.. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd4053670d446cb9d33bc/1599940233445-KGTPO5768FREMF7DDLSV/pliant_energy_mining_lg_font_white_1000dpi_.4_ln_wt_1.jpg Home Conventional nodule mining method Environmental Concerns: Tracked crawler collects everything within top 5-15 cm of sediment. Nodules are pumped to the surface using a riser borrowed from the undersea oil & gas industry. Nodules are separated in a surface ship and seabed sediment is returned to the ocean. The sea floor is compacted under the tracks on the heavy crawler. Economic Risks: High CAPEX to commence operations. Malfunction of crawler or riser shuts down entire operation. Retrieval of heavy crawler for repairs is slow, difficult and risky. Seafloor topography and physical properties must be accurately surveyed and analyzed to prevent crawler sinking in soft sediment or tipping over on uneven terrain. Nodules on uneven terrain cannot be harvested. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd4053670d446cb9d33bc/1596742368495-4E92BQTDJ1S09GIF9I6Q/Pliant_Energy_Systems_blue_swarm_Filardo Home Pliant Energy’s C-Ray robots collecting polymetallic nodules from the seabed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd4053670d446cb9d33bc/1596750393408-P2B7N7B1EEAKH231D68Z/Manganknolle.jpg Home