Speakers
Dr Chris Steer, Managing Director, Geoptic
Cosmic ray muons provide a passive, naturally occurring signal for localisation in environments where GNSS and conventional techniques may be impaired. This talk reports recent advances that move muon positioning from laboratory prototypes to robust field practice. We present simulations and results from the ongoing development of a practical muon positioning system, covering recent programmes of work with international partners. Initial validation results from underwater and subsurface case studies are shown, including comparisons to survey-grade ground truth. We also discuss operational aspects such as setup time, alignment, health checks, and repeatability across sites. The talk closes with a roadmap for further gains through improved timing, sensor fusion, and standardised approaches to accelerate adoption and comparability across the community.
Chris is Managing Director of Geoptic Infrastructure Investigations, leading the translation of muon-based positioning from research to reliable field systems for tunnels and subsurface infrastructure. The Geoptic team combines Monte-Carlo particle transport code with inversion algorithms to achieve trustworthy inferences from muon tracking detectors in complex backgrounds. Previously, Chris was an Royal Society for Edinburgh Enterprise Fellow, a Lecturer in Applied Physics, and at AWE he served as Principal Physicist after directing muon-tomography research on the behalf of UK government stakeholders and international partners.