한국전자통신연구원(ETRI)이 다중 디지털 엑스선을 활용해 탐지가 어려운 비금속성 지뢰, 폭발물 및 전사자 유해 등 지면 아래 물체의 형상 및 물질을 구분해 영상화할 수 있는 지면 투과 탐색기술을 개발했다.

▲ETRI research team involved in the development of ground penetrating exploration technology based on multiple digital X-ray sources
ETRI, Development of Multi-X-Ray Based Ground Penetration Exploration Technology
A technology that can distinguish and visualize the shape of objects buried underground is being developed, and expectations are high that it will be actively utilized in detecting landmines and explosives, and excavating the remains of soldiers killed in action.
The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on the 26th that it has developed a ground penetrating exploration technology that can visualize the shape and material of underground objects such as non-metallic landmines, explosives, and remains of soldiers that are difficult to detect using multi-digital X-rays.
Existing ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment can explore deep beneath the ground, but it has the disadvantages of requiring expert assistance for signal analysis, low resolution, and inability to distinguish materials.
In 2015, ETRI developed a technology that can digitally change the operation method of X-ray sources and transferred the technology to a domestic dental medical equipment company, successfully commercializing a digital X-ray source for the first time in the world.
Existing analog X-ray sources use a hot cathode filament heated to a high temperature of over 2,000℃ as an electron source, but digital X-ray sources use carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as cold cathode electron sources, which can create fast and accurate X-ray pulses with only instantaneous electric signals without high-temperature heating of the cathode.
ETRI is applying digital X-ray source technology, which is relatively easy to make small and lightweight and can be operated at high speed, to ground penetration exploration technology.Did.
X-rays from multiple light sources were irradiated onto the ground, and the intensity and spectrum information of the reflected X-rays were reconstructed using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
With this, we have developed a core technology that can intuitively distinguish the shape and type of material of objects below the ground.
The researchers cited high resolution and the ability to distinguish materials as the greatest advantages of this technology.
The idea is to use AI to learn from the reflected wavelengths by shooting X-rays, so that we can accurately distinguish substances.
The possibility of expanding the scan area and shortening the search time by using multiple X-rays has been confirmed in the laboratory.
The research team developed a core technology for ground penetration shape and material exploration for excavating hazardous materials based on a digital X-ray source.
Through this research project, the research team aimed to: △improve the structure and manufacturing process of a digital X-ray source for ground penetration exploration; △build a test bed for a digital X-ray imaging module for shape and material exploration; and △create software for image improvement, material classification, and reconstruction.
A 30cm brick-shaped module equipped with three digital X-ray sources in the laboratory visualizes X-rays reflected from stones, bones, trees, pens, screwdrivers, etc. buried in the ground, allowing users to intuitively identify the shape and type of objects.
In the future, the research team plans to develop a robot-type device that can be carried around in a backpack-like manner in rough environments such as mountainous areas, and then placed on a desired surface and remotely controlled to scan, in order to commercialize this technology. While we have seen potential at depths of about 10 cm in the current laboratory, we plan to further advance our research in the future to enable detection at depths of several meters (m).
Dr. Jinwoo Jeong of ETRI's Intelligent Component Sensor Lab said, "We developed ground penetrating exploration equipment suitable for our country's environment with many narrow and rugged mountainous terrains to protect soldiers from dangers such as landmines and explosives, and to help with the excavation project for the remains of Korean soldiers killed in action, of which only 10% has been excavated in 20 years."
The research team predicts that this technology will be widely used in the future as non-destructive testing equipment for industrial sites that require high resolution, as well as in the excavation of remains of soldiers or archaeological cultural assets, mine and explosive excavation, and criminal investigation.
This project was developed as a 'development of core source technology for ground penetration exploration based on digital X-ray source for excavation of remains of fallen soldiers' project.