MUM’s the Word — An Underwater Vehicle Made for Mining
A team of engineers from thyssenkrupp, Berlin Technical University, the University of Rostock, Atlas Elektronik and EvoLogics will begin work to develop a new type of unmanned underwater vehicle for industrial applications that could include deep-sea mining. The research and development project known as the Large Modifiable Underwater Mothership, or MUM, will receive funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy over three years. It is intended to “open up new ways to explore and harness the potential of the world’s oceans,” according to a press release issued by thyssekrupp in early November. It will be “…breaking with old conventions,” said the company, explaining that its unique modular design will enable the new vehicle class to be customized cost-efficiently for each mission. Individual MUM base modules can be combined with specific mission modules to form large systems, enabling performance of specialized tasks. This makes the new underwater vehicle ideal for deep-sea mining as well as other applications, said thyssenkrupp.
