Magnetic Tracking

Kinematic quantities, including displacement, velocity, and acceleration are key parameters in the monitoring and analysis of the complicated behaviour of earth materials.

For particular types of problems, Mote is developing a magnetic tracking system having the potential to capture 3D motions of subsurface soil, translations, and rotations of boulders, etc. Magnetic tracking is a type of position sensing technique that requires a tracking target (tracker) and a reference array (receiver). A magnetic dipole, such as a permanent magnet or a coil emitting an electromagnetic signal (electromagnet), can generate a magnetic field in the space. Position, as well as direction information of a dipole, can be derived from the magnetic flux density it generates. This technique can be well fused with initial measurement units to provide even better estimations of motions of targets.