UAV-mounted GPR for NDT applications

Abstract

This contribution introduces a novel airborne system for subsurface sensing and imaging applications. The system consists of a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) mounted on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Since the system does not need to be in contact with the soil, it is particularly useful for some Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) applications such as landmine detection or archeological surveys. An overview of the system and some of the first flight tests are shown in this contribution. The results of these flight tests prove the feasibility of the system to detect both metallic and dielectric targets. Furthermore, since the system includes a high-accuracy positioning system, measurements could be coherently combined to improve the radar image resolution.