US scientists develop microrobot swarms to harvest lithium from seawater

The world's oceans hold vast reserves of lithium — essential for batteries and aerospace technology — but its concentration in seawater is too low for conventional filtration to be viable. US researchers are developing swarms of microscopic, self-propelled particles that would autonomously collect lithium directly from the ocean. The approach aims to make deep-sea lithium extraction economically feasible for the first time.

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