CERE faculty Senior Researcher Arne Døssing from DTU SPACE has received funding for developing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UVA), commonly known as a drone, which is capable of exploiting magnetic surveying for a number of purposes, including the location of unexploded bombs, exploration for mineral and energy resources such as oil and gas and geothermal reservoirs, and geoscientific research.
In Denmark alone it is estimated that more than 5,000 unexploded mines from WW2 are hidden in the sea and on land. It is time-consuming and expensive to locate and remove those mines before cables for new offshore windfarms can be laid, for instance. And according to the UN, more than 110 million unexploded bombs exist worldwide killing more than 15,000 people every year.
Today, surveys for natural resources and bombs are often carried out from helicopters using a so-called magnetometer bird or from the ground. Heliborne surveys are expensive and logistically challenging, especially in remote areas, and ground surveys are often time-consuming and incomplete and – in the case of unexploded bombs – linked with high risk. Thus, efficient mineral and energy exploration, as well as global clearance of unexploded bombs are stalled by existing survey methods.
The project’s aim is to develop a long-range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for high-Quality Magnetic Surveying (UAV-QMS), which is globally deployable, even in complex terrains or from ships, and capable of collecting high signal-to-noise ratio data, safely and with >60% reduced costs as compared to heliborne surveys.
The new drone has the potential to disrupt the present market for magnetic surveying and take Danish companies to the absolute forefront of UAV magnetic surveying, and enable DTU Space to conduct unprecedented research in the Arctic.
In addition to DTU SPACE (coordinator), the project partners include Danish drone manufacturer Sky-Watch, the Danish energy company DONG Energy, the Royal Danish Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service, and Danish engineering consultancy company Geo.
The project has a total budget of DKK 16 million (EUR 2.2 mio.), with DKK 11 million (EUR 1.5 mio) from Innovation Fund Denmark and is scheduled to run from 2017-2021