MFAM: Miniature Fabricated Atomic Magnetometer for Autonomous Magnetic Surveys
Bart Hoekstra Rahul Mhaskar Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping Workshop SEG 2017 Unmanned Vehicles – The Future of Geophysics
REMUS 100 AUV (Source: KONGSBERG) Modern Robotic Guards (Source: Robotic Assistance Devices)
→ Autonomous Platform → Decrease Field Time → Survey Difficult to Access Places → Decrease Risk to Field Personnel
Liquid Robotics Wave Glider (Source: Liquid Robotics)
X8 Fixed Wing UAV (Source: Feiyu-tech)
SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 2 Implications for Geophysical Sensors on Un-Manned Platforms → Reduce → Weight → Power → Size → High Sample Rate → Simple Operating Interface → Deployment Flexibility Maintain sensitivity and other critical parameters SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 3 MFAM Critical Specifications
→ Power – 2.5 W per Sensor
→ Weight – Less than 2 lbs in airborne configuration
→ 15 cm3 sensor elements
→ Sample Rate – 1000 Hz.
→ Sensitivity – 1 pT/√Hz
SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 4
MFAM System Architecture
Connectivity Sensor PhysicsPhysics Application Package Sensor Driver Application Packages Cable Interface Connectivity
MFAM Module MFAM Instrument
Physics Packages Sensor Driver
SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 5 MagArrow Prototype
Photos courtesy of Ron Bell of International Geophysical Services
Autonomous, fully self- contained drone-mounted magnetometer with similar performance to existing Cesium Magnetometers
SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 6 Autonomous Platform
Photos courtesy of National Energy Technology Laboratory
Package includes • Wi-Fi for Downloading • Battery • GPS for Timing and Positioning SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 7 Sensor Validation
MFAMG-859
Data courtesy of Ron Bell of International Geophysical Services
SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 8 MagArrow Prototype Results
SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 9 Survey Productivity IGS Landfill Survey 15 minutes of field time Same survey area same line spacing
Ground Survey – 3 days MagArrow Survey – <1 hour
Soccer Fields
• Survey Speed – 7 m/s • Internal Battery runs for 2.5 Hours • WiFi downloading of data during platform battery swap
SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 10 Hardware Features
→ Easy to use – begin data collection within minutes → Visible status LEDs to ensure that the system is functioning correctly → Internal GPS for timing → Hot-swappable battery → 1000 Hz Sample Rate → Orient sensors to eliminate dead zones
Data courtesy of International Geophysical Services and processed by Scott Thomas
SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 11 Software Features
→ App based interface for system health monitoring → GPS data and PPS synchronization status → Data export to ASCII file or direct import into Geosoft → WiFi download – no physical connection → Remote update – Field upgradable → Commercially Available Batteries
SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 12 Benefits of Magnetic Surveying Using Drones → Shorten exploration time 10X → Survey over inaccessible and hazardous terrain → Higher spatial resolution than traditional airborne surveys → Easy to export data → Less expensive than either airborne or traditional ground surveys → No operator input required during survey
SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 13 In Summary
→ ~2.5 pounds → 2.5 hour battery life and a built-in GPS, On-Board Storage and WiFi connectivity → High sample rate and sensitivity → Easy to use → Full unit commercially available next year – module and development kit available now!
SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 14 Photo courtesy of Ron Bell of International Geophysical Services SEG 2017 Drones Applied to Geophysical Mapping 15