Impossible Metals

Impossible Metals is a San Jose-based ocean robotics company building autonomous underwater vehicles that harvest polymetallic nodules from the deep seabed one at a time. Its Eureka Collection System uses AI computer vision and a buoyancy engine to hover above the seafloor, pick up individual nodules containing nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese, and leave nodules with visible marine life untouched - an approach the company positions as a lower-impact alternative to both land mining and the seabed-dredging methods used by rivals.