Grant: Idea to Innovation

Magnetic anomalies are slight perturbations of Earth's magnetic field induced by magnetic objects. Magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) is used by the military for weapon detection and the mining industry for prospecting large underground or underwater ferromagnetic deposits. The leading commercial MAD detectors are expensive, bulky, power hungry, and require temperature compensation, drastically restricting their use. A team of physicists and engineers at the Université de Sherbrooke is currently working on a disruptive MAD sensor technology based on quantum effects. The fundamental unit of their quantum MAD sensor (QMADS) is an atomic defect in diamond whose quantum properties are extremely sensitive to magnetic anomalies.This I2I project aims to provide a low-cost, reliable, more efficient MAD detector using Université de Sherbrooke's proprietary QMADS technology. After refining the already functional QMADS prototype, performances tests will be conducted in a controlled laboratory environment and, then, on the field, in partnership with the National Research Council of Canada. At the end of this project, it will be fully validated if the technology can meet the market needs for long range MAD detection (army, geology). The project will also reveal the potential for short range detection with applications in quality control in microelectronics, public works, etc.Unlike commercial MAD detectors, QMADS fulfill all the requirements for autonomous MAD sensing aboard drones. QMADS-equipped drones would allow surveying of large territories to help detect and prevent, for instance, power outages and oil spills.