--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Can we build a system which is able to…" description: "\"Can we build a system which is able to survive on the ocean for years? That is the key question we are trying to answer here with the North Sea prototy..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/boyan-slat-8602_key_can-we-build-a-system-which-is-able-to-s_1616830.jpg" --- # Can we build a system which is able to survive on the… ![“Can we build a system which is able to survive on the ocean for years? That is the key question we are trying to answer here with the North Sea prototype.” quote by Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/boyan-slat-8602_key_can-we-build-a-system-which-is-able-to-s_1616830.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/boyan-slat-8602_key_can-we-build-a-system-which-is-able-to-s_1616830.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/boyan-slat-8602_key_can-we-build-a-system-which-is-able-to-s_1616830.jpg) > “Can we build a system which is able to survive on the ocean for years? That is the key question we are trying to answer here with the North Sea prototype.” [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker asks whether a long‑term ocean‑based system can be built, highlighting a central research challenge. **In simple terms:** Can we create a system that lives on the ocean for years? Key Takeaway Focus on sustainable marine engineering solutions. Themes innovation engineering environment Mood optimistic analytical Type technical strategic When to use this quote - research labs - policy planning - industry pilots Key Concepts systems design marine sustainability Questions to Reflect On - What technologies are essential for ocean longevity? - How will regulations affect deployment? A Different Perspective Technical feasibility and funding are major hurdles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able Survive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able-survive-1214913/) [Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/key/) [North sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-sea/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Ocean Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean-years-6164945/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Sea Prototype](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea-prototype-6164944/) [Survive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survive/) [Survive Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survive-ocean-6164943/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [The North Sea can be a pretty violent place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/the-north-sea-can-be-a-pretty-violent-place/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [We imagine things — that we wouldn't be able to survive, but in fact, we do survive. ... We have no choice, so we do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/we-imagine-things-that-we-wouldn-t-be-able-to-survive-but-in-fact-we/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I certainly know that I would not be able to survive if it were not for the fact that I am being upheld by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/i-certainly-know-that-i-would-not-be-able-to-survive-if-it-were-not/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [I know that there's a god because I was able to survive everything that I've been through - all of the tough times -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-mayweather-jr/i-know-that-there-s-a-god-because-i-was-able-to-survive-everything/) [Floyd Mayweather, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-mayweather-jr/) > [Humans are pretty amazing at living pretty much anywhere and so that makes me optimistic that perhaps humanity will be able to survive itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/humans-are-pretty-amazing-at-living-pretty-much-anywhere-and-so-that/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Faith may want answers, but somehow it is able to survive without them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-custis-james/faith-may-want-answers-but-somehow-it-is-able-to-survive-without-them/) [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) > [I've been able to survive a lot of things, and I am especially interested in survivor stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/i-ve-been-able-to-survive-a-lot-of-things-and-i-am-especially/) [Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/) > [I think I was able to survive five heart attacks because I never postponed going to the hospital when something didn't feel right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/i-think-i-was-able-to-survive-five-heart-attacks-because-i-never/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [Without comedy as a defense mechanism I wouldn't be able to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-shandling/without-comedy-as-a-defense-mechanism-i-wouldn-t-be-able-to-survive/) [Garry Shandling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-shandling/) > [I've always been able to survive by writing, though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milius/i-ve-always-been-able-to-survive-by-writing-though/) [John Milius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milius/) > [It's part of my character not to take myself too seriously. That's one of the reasons I've been able to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/it-s-part-of-my-character-not-to-take-myself-too-seriously-that-s-one/) [Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/) > [Working on a studio picture, I can't help but be aware of all the political stuff that's going on. I have to work to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-pearce/working-on-a-studio-picture-i-can-t-help-but-be-aware-of-all-the/) [Guy Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-pearce/) > [“What we do now, we do so that someday mercy will be able to survive here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/what-we-do-now-we-do-so-that-someday-mercy-will-be-able-to-survive/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“At the time you've got skills and possessions, train yourself to be able to survive without them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/at-the-time-you-ve-got-skills-and-possessions-train-yourself-to-be/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [I've had a lot of movies that didn't get great numbers on test screening, but a lot of times the film was able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/i-ve-had-a-lot-of-movies-that-didn-t-get-great-numbers-on-test/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) ## More by Boyan Slat > [Musk is very inspiring to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/musk-is-very-inspiring-to-me/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [I think humanity can do more than one thing at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/i-think-humanity-can-do-more-than-one-thing-at-the-same-time/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [Whenever you start working on something, you have to go about it with the underlying assumption that this puzzle has a solution, right? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/whenever-you-start-working-on-something-you-have-to-go-about-it-with/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [For 60 years man has been putting plastic into the ocean. And from that day onward we're also taking it back out again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/for-60-years-man-has-been-putting-plastic-into-the-ocean-and-from/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [We started solely concentrating on cleaning up the Garbage Patch because we felt it was the most neglected part of the spectrum of solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/we-started-solely-concentrating-on-cleaning-up-the-garbage-patch/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [We use a curtain, so we don't use a net, so there's nothing sea life can get entangled with. And also, the system moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/we-use-a-curtain-so-we-don-t-use-a-net-so-there-s-nothing-sea-life/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [When ideas are confronted with reality, there will always be surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/when-ideas-are-confronted-with-reality-there-will-always-be-surprises/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [When I started there was this consensus that you could never clean this up, that the problem is way too big, the ocean is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/when-i-started-there-was-this-consensus-that-you-could-never-clean/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [I think people overestimate the risk of high-risk projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/i-think-people-overestimate-the-risk-of-high-risk-projects/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [The legacy, the waste, is mostly in international waters that are sort of in no man's land and thus considered to be no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/the-legacy-the-waste-is-mostly-in-international-waters-that-are-sort/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [I do enjoy being at the ocean, like most people, but not so much being on the ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/i-do-enjoy-being-at-the-ocean-like-most-people-but-not-so-much-being/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [It's important to stay humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/it-s-important-to-stay-humble/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [It's never really fun to be in the public spotlight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/it-s-never-really-fun-to-be-in-the-public-spotlight/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [I would never be able to work on a photo-sharing app or 'Internet startup XYZ.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/i-would-never-be-able-to-work-on-a-photo-sharing-app-or-internet/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [Look at climate change. That's a bigger problem than plastic, but we can't all focus on that and forget about plastic - that isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/look-at-climate-change-that-s-a-bigger-problem-than-plastic-but-we/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) [Explore all 79 Boyan Slat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) ## More Key quotes > [One of the key characteristics of the comic book medium is that it is not brought to life by just one voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/one-of-the-key-characteristics-of-the-comic-book-medium-is-that-it-is/) [Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/) > [Widespread use of antibiotics promotes the spread of antibiotic resistance. Smart use of antibiotics is the key to controlling its spread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/widespread-use-of-antibiotics-promotes-the-spread-of-antibiotic/) [A. P. J. 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