Patent 7694567 was granted and assigned to Massachusetts Institute of Technology on April, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Sonic excitation is used to locate, without contact, an object or defect beneath a surface. Defects may include, for example, damage and flaws in load bearing concrete structures wrapped in plastic, fiberglass or composite sheathing, while buried objects amenable to detection include landmines or above-ground mines.