Scholarly record

ENERGETIC HORIZON - A MOBILE ACOUSTIC-MAGNETIC SUBSURFACE EXPLORATION SYSTEM INTEGRATED WITH THE #COSMOBOSS MICROROVER

Jakub Zalewski, Aleksander Roratowski, Przemyslaw Toczek, Krzysztof Skrzypaszek

Abstract

Ongoing miniaturisation of scientific instrumentation, combined with the development of autonomous research platforms, increasingly favours small, remotely operated vehicles capable of carrying out extensive geophysical surveys with minimal logistical overhead. This work presents the concept and prototype of Energetic Horizon, a mobile field module dedicated to preliminary geological reconnaissance and to assessing the resource potential of a surveyed area. The proposed solution integrates two complementary measurement techniques: acoustic surface mapping and the detection of local magnetic field anomalies indicative of ferromagnetic formations relevant to the mining and energy sectors. A key design assumption is real-time acquisition, processing, and Wi-Fi transmission of data to a central database, enabling immediate visualisation as a simplified 2D map. The measurement module is integrated with the #COSMOBOSS microrover, which serves as an autonomous mobile platform. Ultrasonic sensors record the time-of-flight and intensity of reflected signals, reproducing local terrain morphology and identifying obstacles, while an array of magnetic sensors monitors local field disturbances. The system was verified on a test bench simulating lunar ground conditions using lunar regolith analogues, allowing simultaneous assessment of the microrover's locomotion capabilities and of the effectiveness of the measurement methods. The obtained results confirm the feasibility of building a coherent, scalable hardware-software platform for fast and low-cost geophysical data acquisition, applicable to environmental monitoring, mineral prospecting, and future planetary exploration missions.

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