PICUS: A Pocket-Sized System for Simple and Fast Non-Destructive Evaluation of the Detachments in Ancient Artifacts

An innovative, robust method has been developed, based on the use of a simple, compact, expressly designed device, named PICUS (the ‘woodpecker’ in ancient Latin), and inspired by the auscultation method carried out by the experts in the field of conservation of cultural heritage. This method entails gently knocking the surface, controlling and measuring the impact time of the stroke’s force, recording the generated sound, comparing the acquired sound with a reference sound by calculating the cross-correlation function, and its maximum, as a measure of the detachment. In a nutshell, it performs an analysis similar to that carried out by a professional who performs a routine examination on the detachments by hand. The experimental apparatus consists of a probe made of an electromechanical percussion element that gently taps the surface producing a sound, a force sensor purposely developed to measure the impact force, and a microphone, all connected with an Arduino-like low cost board, to record and elaborate the sounds and the force sensor signal. The probe XY position on the scene is recognized using an infra-red (IR) system with a low-cost IR camera and an IR light-emitting diode (IR-LED) positioned on the probe. The “tapper” and the microphone replace the hand and the ear of a conservator carrying out a detachment investigation, while the comparison with a reference is the typical mind process of a professional restorer. The result is the fusion of the microphone data and the force sensor data.