Carleton Student-Led Startup Uses Drones to Map WWII Explosives
When Pablo Arzate launched a drone over Ottawa’s Mer Bleue Bog this summer, he was demonstrating how cutting-edge geophysics, proprietary hardware and AI-driven software can reveal what’s hidden beneath the surface.
Arzate is the founder of 3XMAG, a startup specializing in drone-mounted magnetometry and radiometry, technologies that detect subtle anomalies in the Earth’s magnetic field and natural radiation levels. Originally developed for mining, 3XMAG’s system is proving valuable for industries ranging from environmental monitoring to defence.
“What we’re doing is geophysics,” explains Arzate, a master’s student in Carleton University’s Technology Innovation Management (TIM) program.
“We’re measuring subsurface magnetic fields to identify metal objects that shouldn’t be there.”
And in Mer Bleue, a conservation area and former Royal Canadian Air Force bombing range, 3XMAG found plenty.