Low-cost electronics for pressure-agnostic actuators driving bio-inspired vehicles for deep sea mining

As the United States pushes for independence regarding energy-related imports, it is necessary to expand the search for rare earth elements used in renewable energy industries. There is an estimated 100 billion tons of rare earth elements along the ocean floors, which is 10 million times the average annual consumption of the United States. However, leveraging this nearly untapped resource presents new engineering challenges; unconventional technologies for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) are required for practical and cost-effective componentry that is inherently tolerant to the immense external pressures experienced at the ocean floor. The vision of this proposal is to enable environmentally conscious deep-sea mining of rare earth elements and precious metals using next-generation bio-inspired UUVs. Key to the success of this vision are the actuators, or artificial muscles, that propel the UUVs and harvest polymetallic nodules. Hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatics (HASEL) actuators, the core technology of Artimus Robotics, are uniquely suited for deep-sea operation; these actuators are pressure agnostic, silent, muscle-mimetic, displacement sensing, and can be made from inexpensive materials. However, a large gap still exists between the cost of the actuators and their associated driving electronics, which are essential to generate muscle-like actuation. The objectives of this proposal are aimed at creating custom inexpensive high voltage electronics to drive HASEL actuators for deep-sea missions. UUVs based on the technologies developed here will have applications in other energy-related initiatives such as carbon dioxide monitoring and mitigation and ocean agriculture for biomass production.