University of Mississippi researchers have developed a Laser Multi Beam Differential Interferometric Sensor (LAMBDIS) that can detect landmines and other buried objects from a moving vehicle. (Pixabay)

Detecting landmines and other buried objects might become easier with a new laser-based sensor being developed at the University of Mississippi.

At the Optical Society's (OSA) Laser Congress in Vienna, Austria later this month, the researchers will present a research paper>Laser Doppler vibrometers (LDVs) combined with vibration excited in the ground have shown promise for detecting landmines and other buried objects, but their sensitivity to environmental vibrations requires them to be operated from a special stable platform. The LAMBDIS device is said to provide comparable detection capabilities but is far less sensitive to motion, so it can work aboard a moving vehicle.

In the new sensor, the researchers used a linear array of 30 laser beams directed>"The lingering scourge of landmines presents a serious challenge to rapid and accurate interrogation of large areas from moving vehicles," said lead researcher Dr. Vyacheslav Aranchuk, in a statement. "Our new device overcomes this challenge by using a series of laser beams and then combining their signals to create a rapid-detection scheme that also is robust enough to compensate for motion and other 'noise' that could overwhelm other techniques."

Aranchuk added, "Unlike LDVs, the LAMBDIS doesn't use an internal reference beam, but detects a Doppler shift by using interference of light reflected from different points>In field tests, researchers reported that LAMBDIS was able to detect buried objects 7.5 meters to 20 meters away and from a vehicle traveling at 3.8 meters per second (about 8.5 miles per hour) with comparable results to a stable platform-mounted LDV. Researchers tested the device both with airborne and seismic sound sources and with different scanning angles, suggesting the device could produce accurate results in various real-world conditions.

Besides landmines, LAMBDIS could benefit other applications where environmental noise or movement hinders the use of LDVs. This could include inspecting automobiles and aircraft components, assessing bridge and structure vibrations, and calibrating equipment.