Imaging Technology to Identify Shapes and Materials Underground… Utilization in Excavating Fallen Soldiers’ Remains
A research team in South Korea has developed a digital X-ray source technology that can differentiate and image the shapes and types of materials of objects buried underground. This technology is expected to be actively used in the detection of landmines, explosives, and the excavation of remains of fallen soldiers.
The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on the 26th that they have developed a ground-penetrating search technology that can image and distinguish between the shapes and materials of non-metallic landmines, explosives, and soldiers’ remains buried underground using multiple digital X-rays.
The digital X-ray source technology uses carbon nanotube (CNT) as a cold cathode electron source, allowing the creation of fast and precise X-ray pulses with immediate electrical signals without the need to heat the cathode.
Typically, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, used for subsurface exploration, can investigate deep below the surface but requires expert assistance for signal analysis and has limitations, such as low resolution and an inability to differentiate materials.
In 2015, ETRI developed a technology that could digitize the operation of X-ray sources, transferred the technology to a domestic dental medical equipment company, and achieved the world’s first commercialization of digital X-ray sources.
Subsequently, they applied the relatively easily miniaturized and lightweight digital X-ray source technology capable of high-speed operation to ground-penetrating search technology. By using AI technology to reconstruct intensity and spectrum information of reflected X-rays irradiated from multiple light sources onto the ground, they developed a core technology that can intuitively identify the shape and type of materials of subterranean objects.
The researchers highlighted the high resolution and capability to differentiate materials as the greatest advantages of this technology. They explained that by emitting X-rays and teaching the AI to learn the reflected wavelengths, it can accurately identify and distinguish materials.
In experiments, researchers successfully imaged X-rays reflected from objects such as stones, bones, wood, pens, and screwdrivers buried in the ground using a 30cm brick-shaped module equipped with three digital X-ray sources, allowing intuitive identification of the shape and type of objects.
For commercialization, they plan to develop a robot-type device that can be carried in a backpack and remotely controlled to scan the desired ground, particularly in mountainous terrains. They also plan to advance the research to enable detection several meters deep.
Dr. Jeong Jin-woo from ETRI’s Intelligent Component Sensor Research Laboratory stated, “This development aims to protect military personnel from dangers such as landmines and explosives in Korea’s many steep and rugged mountainous terrains and to assist in the excavation of fallen soldiers’ remains, which have only been 10% completed over 20 years.”