Arkhia: an autonomous ground-penetrating radar system

Principle

Arkhia deploys a structure equipped with a dense array of GPR antennas; it records continuous profiles across several dozen hectares per day.

The radar emits short electromagnetic pulses into the ground and receives their echoes: every buried structure returns a characteristic signal, allowing it to be mapped without any excavation.

Raw GPR Data

Cross-section of a GPR acquisition showing reflection hyperbolae
Figure 2. Multiple targets generate numerous characteristic hyperbolic responses.

A robotised survey

To cover vast surfaces, the system is designed to be towed by next-generation autonomous tractors, akin to the agricultural robots deployed in fields today.

Precision agriculture meets archaeology: a regular, reproducible sweep at the scale of the landscape, in order to support archaeologists.