Low-reaction-force, misalignment-tolerant corers double as sensory probes.

Easy-to-use, low-power-consumption apparatuses capable of drilling to acquire core samples of thick layers of material and/or measuring physical and chemical characteristics of the layers are undergoing development. A major component of an apparatus of this type is an ultrasonic/sonic drill/corer (USDC) with integrated sensors. The USDC includes a hollow drill bit or corer, in which a combination of ultrasonic and sonic vibrations are excited by an electronically driven piezoelectric actuator. The corer can be instrumented with a variety of sensors for both probing the drilled material and acquiring feedback for control of the excitation (see figure). The potential uses of these apparatuses are so numerous that it is not possible to list them all here; a few representative examples include sampling rocks and soil, medical procedures that involve core sampling and/or probing, detecting buried land mines, and even extracting rock cores for use as small bricks.