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A robotic underwater drill for use at depths as great as
2000 metres is being developed by a consortium from Australia, Japan and
America. The drill, called the Portable Remotely Operated Drill or PROD, will be
ready for sea trials by the end of the year and be operational next year. PROD
is being designed and built by MD Research, an Australian mining research group
and a member of the consortium. The other partners are the University of Sydney,
NGK of Japan, and Williamson and Associates of the US. The drill, weighing about
seven tonnes, will obtain core samples of 100 metres of rock and sediment. At
the same time it will deploy instruments to make readings of acoustic and
magnetic properties and measure the temperature beneath the seabed. PROD will be
used for marine research, seafloor mapping and engineering. It will be important
for industries involved with offshore petroleum, telecommunications and
pipe-laying.