Nautilus unveils spider-inspired sediment sampler

Marine mining pioneer Nautilus Minerals has unveiled a new autonomous sediment sampler called the 'Nautilus Jumping Spider’ for use in sampling deep-sea deposits, that could cut exploration costs “by an order of magnitude”, the company reported on Thursday. Nautilus said it has successfully completed the first trial of the insect-inspired creation. On landing on the seafloor, a mechanical trigger starts both the suction system that delivers sediment up the tubular legs and into the sample housing.