Badger project: GPR system design on board on a underground drilling robot

Summary The present paper presents some results of EU founded project called Badger, the first underground robotic system that can drill, maneuver, localize, map and navigate in the underground space, and which will be equipped with tools for constructing complex geometry networks of stable boreholes. The proposed robotic system will enable the execution of tasks that cut across different applications including trenchless constructions, cabling and pipe installations, geotechnical investigations. The robot will integrate technology for perception, localization and mapping, in order to sense, map and interpret the surrounding underground environment; the system will merge collected underground data with digital maps to plan and track the motion of the robot with respect to the environment. Finally, the robotic system will be capable to manage and intelligently combine the massive data gathered during underground operation, to continuously improve its perception and cognition abilities. In particular, with reference to the cognition system, in this paper is reported the design of an on-board integrated GPR system, whose purposes is collision avoidance as well to provide input to Simultaneous Locating And Mapping (SLAM) system. Innovative design and resulting performance are reported, where miniaturization of radiating elements without decrease bandwidth and working frequency represents the main challenge.