Compact Deminer's Probe

The Phase I effort demonstrated the ability of a ground-insertable probe to extend the reach of LIBS technology to buried targets and that all the components can be made completely portable. Phase II will complete a ruggedized probe design and develop the rest of the field-portable LIBS system to improve the discrimination speed of manual demining activities. To allow sampling and identification of buried targets, the probe tip will have a retractable cover to protect the lens during probe insertion and extraction. The cover will also create and maintain a clear optical path between the tip optics and the target. All core system components, including the laser, spectrometer and computer, will mount inside a lightweight, rugged enclosure that can then be mounted on different platforms for different applications. The accuracy and relative hardware simplicity of the LIBS process render it applicable to a variety of different missions and system configurations where the goal is rapid identification of unknown substances. The modular design of the proposed system simplifies the development of product variants, including remotely operated versions for use on robotic or armored vehicles.