Imagine all the mines across Europe that were shut down because they flooded or became too dangerous — but still have valuable minerals inside. VAMOS built an underwater robot that can go into those flooded pits and extract minerals remotely, like a deep-sea mining machine adapted for inland mines. It comes with live environmental monitoring so you know exactly what impact you're having in real time. They tested the prototype at actual abandoned mine sites across Europe with different rock types and depths.
European mining companies are sitting on mineral deposits worth an estimated €100 billion that cannot be accessed because mines have flooded, hit geotechnical limits, or been abandoned due to safety constraints. Traditional mining techniques cannot economically or safely extract these submerged resources, leaving valuable assets stranded underground.
A prototype underwater, remotely controlled mining machine with launch and recovery equipment; a real-time environmental impact monitoring system; a 3D real-time mining model with camera visualization; a mining supervision and visualization system; a multi-sensor navigation system with acoustic positioning; and a real-time grade control system using field LIBS analysis. All were field-tested at actual mine sites.
If you are a mining company sitting on abandoned mine assets that flooded or hit geotechnical limits — this project developed a remotely controlled underwater mining machine tested at real mine sites across Europe. It could let you reopen deposits previously written off, accessing an estimated €100 billion in unexploited European mineral resources at 500-1,000 metres depth.
If you are an environmental services company dealing with monitoring obligations at former mining sites — this project built a real-time environmental impact monitoring system specifically designed for submerged mining operations. The system was developed by FUGRO and tested across complete mining trial monitoring life cycles, giving you continuous data on environmental parameters.
If you are a marine technology company looking to expand into inland underwater operations — this project developed multi-sensor navigation, acoustic positioning (iUSBL), and mining perception systems for low-visibility underwater environments. The technology stack includes 3D real-time modelling and camera visualization that could be adapted to your existing underwater vehicle platforms.
The project had a total EU contribution of €9,200,000 across 20 partners over 4 years to develop and test the prototype. Based on available project data, commercial unit costs are not specified, but the project explicitly evaluated productivity and cost of operation to enable economic reassessment of mine sites.
The prototype was field-tested at abandoned and inactive mine sites with a range of rock types and submerged depths. The project aimed to prove operational feasibility and economic viability at scale. However, this remains a prototype-to-pilot stage system — commercial-scale deployment would require further engineering.
The consortium of 20 partners across 9 countries jointly developed the technology under an EU Horizon 2020 grant. IP rights are governed by the consortium agreement. BMT Group Ltd (UK) coordinated the project and would be the first point of contact for licensing discussions.
The project specifically built an Environmental Impact Monitoring System to provide real-time monitoring of submerged mining operations. It also aimed to contribute to social acceptance of the extraction technique via public demonstrations in EU regions. Regulatory compliance for specific mine sites would still need individual assessment.
The project ran from 2015 to 2019 to go from concept to field-tested prototype. Based on available project data, the mining machine was tested with associated launch and recovery equipment, suggesting it is designed for site-to-site deployment. Timeline for a specific site would depend on rock hardness, pit morphology, and depth.
The project developed a Mining Supervision System providing operation visualization and supervision, plus a Real Time Grade Control system using field slurry LIBS. These were designed as an integrated solution, but integration with third-party mine management software would likely require custom work.
The VAMOS consortium is heavily industry-driven with 13 out of 20 partners (65%) coming from industry, supported by 4 research organizations and 2 universities across 9 countries. This is a strong signal for commercial intent. The consortium includes 4 SMEs alongside larger players like BMT Group (UK coordinator) and FUGRO (environmental monitoring). The geographic spread across Austria, Bosnia, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and the UK suggests access to diverse mine site conditions and regulatory environments, which strengthens the technology's market readiness across European mining jurisdictions.
BMT Group Ltd (UK) coordinated this project. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to the right technical contact.
Want to explore how VAMOS underwater mining technology could reopen your abandoned mine assets? Contact SciTransfer for a detailed brief and introduction to the project team.
