SWORD
Project Overview
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About
Ground-penetrating radar helps locate buried utilities and assess concrete, but conventional surveys require manually marked grids and positioning systems that work poorly in basements, tunnels and other locations without satellite signals. SubterraNav combines a mobile robot, ground-penetrating radar, 3D laser scanning and motion sensors to map surface and subsurface conditions while tracking its own position. Automated processing removes invalid movements and converts usable scan paths into accurately located radar profiles. Centimetre-level testing suggests the system could make infrastructure inspection faster, safer and more consistent.
Team
Catello Leonardo Matonti
Catello Leonardo Matonti graduated with honors in Aerospace Engineering (2019) and Space and Astronautical Engineering (2021) from Sapienza University of Rome, where he completed the School for Advanced Studies diploma in 2022 and qualified as an engineer. He is a Ph.D. candidate at Politecnico di Torino, working on astrodynamics and space-based solar geoengineering. He has authored over 16 contributions, including a patent, and gained experience at ISAE-SUPAERO, INAF, Capgemini Engineering, CERN, DMI, and TUM. A TEDx speaker, recipient of Premio Italia Giovane, and member of IAA and IAF committees, since 2025 he has been co-founder and CTO of ASTRO S.r.l.
Marina Coco
Marina Coco is a PhD candidate in Aerospace Engineering at Politecnico di Torino, Italy. Her doctoral research investigates aerospace-engineering systems and methods for climate mitigation actions, with a focus on the Planetary Sunshade System, a space-based concept aimed at reducing incoming solar radiation reaching Earth. She holds a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, with a specialization in Space, and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Aeronautics.