Progress and Perspective of Seafloor Regolith-Sampling Robots for Ocean Exploration

Abstract

Seafloor exploration has significantly enriched our understanding of the marine environment, climate change, and the evolution of Earth. Seafloor sampling tools are instrumental in acquiring regolith samples for various investigations, including geological surveys and resource exploration. Detailed analysis of collected samples can uncover further hidden mysteries of the ocean. Over the past few decades, numerous research institutions have dedicated efforts to developing efficient seafloor regolith-sampling robots (SRSRs). This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the progress and perspectives on SRSRs. First, the paper introduces the particularities of seafloor regolith sampling, including operation characteristics and sampling requirements. Second, current SRSRs are classified into seven categories based on different sampling methods, and their general characteristics are summarized. Subsequently, representative seafloor drilling and sampling robots (SDSRs) from around the world are introduced, with a focus on comparing mainstream sampling methods. Furthermore, the challenges and constraints in seafloor sampling, encompassing terrestrial technology and the marine environment, are analyzed and discussed in depth. The critical technologies involved in transitioning SRSRs from conceptualization to prototype development are detailed. Finally, important development trends of SRSRs are presented, including recent short-term development goals and future long-term development goals.