The robot about to be let loose on the Norwegian seabed looks like a giant tripod, kicking up sand as it drills to collect samples from one of the last untouched places on Earth.
This eerie contraption belongs to Loke Marine Minerals, expected to be among the first companies to embark on an exploration process that lays the groundwork for deep-sea mining in the Arctic. In a world-first, Norway’s parliament voted on Tuesday to allow a new generation of mining companies to search a large area of Norwegian waters—the size of Italy—for the minerals needed to build electric cars, mobile phones, and solar panels.
Walter Sognnes, CEO of Loke, considers the
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