GSSI’s new ground-penetrating radar system honored by NH Tech Alliance for innovative technology
The NH Tech Alliance’s 2023 product of the year is a bit like Superman and his X-ray vision.
The Flex NX, a product of GSSI (Geophysical Survey Systems Inc.) in Nashua, can “see” through concrete and solid ground, giving its users a look at hidden flaws in concrete or obstructions in the ground.
The technology is called ground-penetrating radar (GPR), using an antenna to send and receive signals into the solid mass is being explored. The primary application of the Flex NX is for concrete, according to Matt Harris, director of product design.
The Flex NX “is capable of detecting metallic and nonmetallic objects such as rebars, pre and post tension cables, voids and conduit. This is especially helpful for clearing areas before someone were to drill or saw an area of concrete,” said Harris. “The cost of hitting a target and needing to repair a building far exceeds the cost to scan and clear an area ahead of time.”
The NH Tech Alliance’s Product of the Year competition features innovative designs from a variety of Granite State companies. This year’s five finalists presented their products to a panel of judges and to a livestream audience of about 850 people on Dec. 6. The judges and audience voted, and the Flex NX was crowned the 2023 Product of the Year winner.
“The Product of the Year competition highlights the best innovation from New Hampshire in the last year,” Julie Demers, executive director of the NH Tech Alliance, said in announcing the winner. “We’re thrilled to bring awareness of the innovation happening in our state to a global audience.”
GPR capabilities
Founded in 1970 in Massachusetts by two engineers, GSSI moved to Hudson in the 1970s and has been in New Hampshire ever since. They design, build, test, ship and repair GPR equipment out of the Nashua location on Simon Street.
“You can imagine that after all the sacrifice and hard work that went into designing, building and marketing not just a great product but a new tech platform, the energy was electric.” Harris said, when asked about the company mood after news of the award was announced. “At GSSI, we’ve always had a strong sense of purpose and mission, and winning this award has done nothing but further embolden us. We believe we’re making a difference in this world, and it really feels like a new dawn for GSSI.”
According to Harris, what makes the product so unique is its next-generation technology platform, dubbed Nexus.
“GSSI has been a leader in the GPR industry for over 50 years, and our Nexus platform is the next chapter of our story. Nexus will provide us with infinite flexibility with regards to product design choice, and it will drastically increase our ability to bring products to market more quickly to support expanding markets and applications for GPR,” he said. “Our goal with Nexus includes overall system and antenna performance improvements, support for wireless and multichannel networking, integration of advanced positioning systems and sensors, as well as a new software framework to support a simplified user experience, as well as the ability to continually add value to our products long after they’ve shipped.”
The Flex NX is about to get an upgrade, according to Harris, thanks to the research team headed by David Cist, the company’s CTO. It’s an onboard camera-based positioning system, which, said Harris, “allows us to know where Flex NX is in 3D space. When we combine this positional information with GPR information, we’re able to quickly and easily generate X-ray-like images that represent what is within the concrete. We call this Flex Mode, and it will be available soon via software upgrade.”
Many GPR systems have this capability, but Harris said it involves many passes on a grid in two directions and requires additional setup like using grid paper or physical boundaries, leaving a lot to human error.
“Flex Mode will eliminate this potential for user-induced error. Flex Mode is just the beginning of what this type of positioning system integration will be unlocking for us,” he said.
He said possible further improvements can’t be disclosed yet, but he encourages anyone with ideas for new GPR uses to reach out to the company.
According to GSSI, it serves five different markets: concrete inspection, utility locating, transportation infrastructure evaluation, geophysics, and archaeology and forensic investigation.
Its tools have been used by its customers for some survey work, including locating large emerald deposits in North Carolina, investigating ancient civilizations and structures in Egypt and Peru, and mapping a safe transit across Antarctica.
