The primary objective of this project is to demonstrate and validate the deployment-platform-independent advanced single-pass Ultralight Electromagnetic Array Marine (ULEMA-M) system, developed and rigorously tested by the project team over the past two and a half years, for detecting underwater metallic targets in live unexploded ordnance (UXO) site environments. Although the project will primarily utilize two deployment strategies—uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV) and diver-based methods—the electromagnetic system itself remains entirely independent of the deployment platform. This independence ensures that ULEMA-M can be deployed on any electromagnetic induction (EMI)-compatible platform without requiring significant modification or additional engineering. The system will undergo rigorous testing at a minimum of two live UXO sites, employing both diver-based and UUV deployment modes. Concurrently, underwater ULEMA-M EMI datasets will be utilized to build and demonstrate an advanced, robust, physics-based, and data-driven software package that operates independently of specific hardware constraints.

The deployment-platform-independent advanced single-pass ULEMA-M system, currently under provisional patent application by Dartmouth College, developed and tested specifically for underwater target detection and classification, will be demonstrated and evaluated at live underwater UXO sites. This sophisticated EMI sensing system, featuring multi-transmitter and tri-axial receiver loops, has been developed over the past two and a half years through significant investments from Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Office of Naval Research, and the U.S. Army. Additionally, advanced physically complete EMI signal inversion and target classification methodologies, continuously funded by the SERDP & ESTCP Program Office for over 25 years, will be utilized. The ULEMA-M system has been designed, developed, and tested collaboratively by Dartmouth College and Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, and integrated with UUV through cooperation with NAVSEA Panama City. Overall, ULEMA is a single-pass, ultra-light, time-domain EMI system, deployable either in handheld mode or mounted on unmanned underwater, ground, and aerial platforms. Equipped with advanced data inversion and classification software, ULEMA efficiently maps and locates subsurface anomalies and classifies targets based on size and material properties. During these demonstrations, the ULEMA-M system’s capabilities for detecting, classifying, and locating (DCL) underwater targets will be thoroughly evaluated. Additionally, the advanced data-driven forward and inverse EMI methods will be assessed for generating standardized, site-specific synthetic EMI datasets as a cost-effective validation tool, enabling site managers and the UXO community to determine and improve underwater target DCL and mitigate risk associated with missed detections or misclassifications of targets of interest (TOIs).

By significantly enhancing detection, localization, and identification performance across diverse operational conditions, this advanced EMI system will reduce operational complexity and associated retrieval costs. Additionally, the delivery of a physics-based, data-driven software package designed for generating site-specific synthetic datasets will provide essential tools for site managers to assess classification performance, understand potential risks associated with missed detections and/or misclassification of TOIs. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2028)