Design of a Wireless-Controlled Mobile Robot for Geo-Tag Metal Detection

Kaduma, Brian and Secco, Emanuele Lindo (2026) Design of a Wireless-Controlled Mobile Robot for Geo-Tag Metal Detection. Journal of Climbing and Walking Robots. ISSN 3154-7559 (Accepted for Publication)

Text Brian_JCWR_v6.pdf - Accepted Version Restricted to Repository staff only until 31 December 2026. Download (1MB)

Abstract

Hidden metallic hazards such as unexploded ordnance are typically located with handheld detectors, which expose operators to risk, provide limited coverage, and leave sparse digital records. High-end robotic and geophysical solutions exist but are expensive, complex, and often over-specified for small team use, while many low-cost builds lack mapping and cloud telemetry. This project proposes a low-cost, teleoperated metal-detection robot that fuses electromagnetic sensing, differential-drive mobility, and cloud IoT. An ESP32-S3 governs an L298N motor driver, and a servo-swept search coil repurposed from a handheld detector; a NEO-8 GPS module provides geolocation; Blynk Cloud supplies bidirectional control and visualization. A segmented 4-cell Li-ion power architecture with fixed-output buck converters isolates noisy and sensitive rails. Field trials demonstrated reliable teleoperation over Wi-Fi, coin detection at about 2 cm, larger targets at 6 cm, and roughly 480 min of run time. The results show an accessible, cloud-connected pathway to geo-tagged metal search that improves operator safety and record keeping using commodity hardware.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Human and Digital Sciences > School of Computer Science and the Environment
Depositing User:	Emanuele Secco
Date Deposited:	04 Sep 2026 13:06
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2026 13:06
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/4967

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