BlueCap Australia

BlueCapBird® — Quantum Rubidium Atomic Magnetometer QuSpin QTFM Gen 2

BlueCapBird® is BlueCap's airborne magnetometer system using a QuSpin QTFM Gen 2 Quantum Rubidium Atomic Magnetometer.

BlueCapBird® magnetometer systems in preparation and flight
BlueCapBird® Light low-speed airborne magnetometer system
Local detail · ~3–15 m/s

BlueCapBird® Light: Low-Speed Variant

Built for lightweight electric drones and detailed local blocks. Optimized for low-speed (~3–15 m/s) surveys where airspace, platform mass, or site constraints favor small drones. Delivers clean, physics-true geomagnetic anomalies for target refinement and infill on modest relief.

  • Fits light drones: compact payload, minimal drag and magnetic signature
  • Use cases: local infill, follow-up on priority zones, constrained sites, gentle–moderate terrain
  • AGL discipline: tight height control against DTM for consistent anomaly amplitudes
  • Form factor: 1.0 m boom, ~1.1 kg payload
  • Power: non-magnetic battery, up to 12 hours
BlueCapBird® Fast terrain-hugging magnetometer assembly
Large-area production · ~30–40 m/s

BlueCapBird® Fast: Terrain-Hugging Variant

Built for sustained ~30-40 m/s magnetic surveys with maximum productivity. Uses active, non-magnetic wings to “stick” to terrain — enabling controlled downhill tracking at up to 2× the gravity-only descent rate while maintaining forward speed near 40 m/s.

  • Terrain-hugging control: active lift surfaces for rapid vertical authority in steep relief
  • Throughput first: optimized for long line-km and large areas in mountainous regions
  • Form factor: 1.2 m boom, ~1.9 kg
  • Power: non-magnetic battery, up to 12 hours

Quantum sensing architecture & field deployment

Mission: Rethinking Airborne Magnetics

BlueCapBird® is our innovative UAV-based magnetometry platform, purpose-built to detect structural geology, stratigraphy, and mineral alteration halos that remain invisible to conventional surveys.

At its core is the QuSpin QTFM Gen2 — a next-generation rubidium atomic magnetometer based on free induction decay (FID), originally developed for submarine detection. We adapted this quantum-grade sensor into a compact, lightweight airborne system designed for ultra-sensitive geological exploration.

Key Benefit: Detect magnetic signals others miss — even in complex terrain and noisy environments.

Free induction decaySignal frequency → total magnetic field
  1. 01Prepare the rubidium atoms
  2. 02Let their magnetisation precess freely
  3. 03Measure the decaying oscillation frequency

Minimal Magnetic Contamination

BlueCapBird® was engineered as an ultra-low magnetic signature system.
The entire BlueCapBird® payload contains only ~15 grams of metal (vs 100 gr+ in older systems), limited mainly to wiring, certified non-magnetic Li-Ion battery cells, and electronics located more than 1 meter from the magnetic sensor head.

This extremely low magnetic footprint minimizes self-generated interference and heading-related errors, allowing acquisition of cleaner magnetic data, higher anomaly contrast, and more reliable interpretation of subtle geological structures.

Precision That Reveals What Others Miss

  • 1 pT/√Hz sensitivity — 2× more precise than conventional airborne magnetometers.
  • Dead zone under 7°, allowing accurate readings even during sharp turns or turbulence (vs 60°+ in older systems).
  • Full vector magnetic sensing — captures not only magnitude but also direction, enabling true 3D magnetic field mapping.

Ideal for identifying subtle anomalies linked to mineralization and structure.

Real-Time Data — From Sky to Cloud

Survey, Stream, Review — From Flight to Project Portal: BlueCapBird® streams high-frequency (20–30 Hz) magnetic data into the BlueCap Survey Portal project workspace.

  • Wireless streaming: Sensor → UAV → Cloud via 4G or Starlink (whichever connects first)
  • Offline-safe: If no internet, data is buffered onboard and auto-uploaded when connection is restored
  • Live tools: Monitor flight progress, access both raw and filtered data, generate 3D KML and real-time heatmaps
  • Live project visibility: during the flight, the client or the client’s geophysicist can follow survey progress and review incoming real-time data in the BlueCap Survey Portal
  • Controlled cloud processing: after each flight, an automated workflow performs controlled filtering and post-processing on BlueCap cloud servers, while preserving the raw project data for geophysical review

Result: the project team can review acquisition while the aircraft is flying, then continue with controlled processed outputs in the same project workspace after the flight.

Designed for Extreme Landscapes

Built for the Real World — Fast, Stable, Precise

  • Active Winch System: Sensor suspended 20 m below drone, fully isolated from onboard interference
  • Rapid Descent Control: Aerodynamically guided free-fall up to 15 m/s for tight terrain following
  • High-Speed Flight: Stable operation up to 100+ km/h without compromising data quality

Perfect for rugged environments like Australian escarpments, jungle valleys, or alpine ridgelines.

Clean Magnetic Architecture

Noise-Free Platform for Detecting Faint Anomalies

  • Only 15 grams of metal, strategically placed 1 meter from QTFM sensor
  • Structural layout virtually eliminates platform-induced magnetic contamination
  • Delivers ultra-pure signals, preserving even the weakest subsurface features

Clean readings = better interpretation = smarter decisions

Dynamic Low-Altitude Profiling

From Valley Floors to Steep Slopes — With Consistent Accuracy

  • Frequent low descents to just 1 meter AGL
  • Captures localized, unshielded magnetic signals that ground stations can’t see
  • Continuously builds a high-resolution magnetic model as it moves

Unlike static ground magnetometers, BlueCapBird® adapts to terrain in real time, providing a richer, more complete dataset.

BlueCapBird® Platform Availability & Operational Deployment

The BlueCapBird® platform has been designed and manufactured in Australia by BlueCap since 2024.

The system has successfully completed commercial flight testing with a total accumulated flight time of 155 hours (as of mid-May 2026), operating suspended beneath the BlueCapHeli® long-endurance gasoline-powered unmanned helicopter platform.

BlueCap currently has the in-house manufacturing capacity to produce up to five BlueCapBird® platforms within approximately three weeks when required for larger-scale projects.

The BlueCapBird® platform is not commercially available as a standalone product and is not offered for retail sale.
Access to the technology is provided exclusively through BlueCap’s integrated airborne geophysical survey services, including certified remote pilots, flight operations, sensor systems, and all supporting equipment required for commercial deployment.

Why It Matters to You

🚀 Faster Exploration Cycles — reduce delay between survey and action

📡 Cloud-Based Access — instant data availability for remote teams

💰 Better Targeting — confidently plan follow-up programs or drilling

🧠 No Post-Processing Bottlenecks — results are ready the same day

Quantum precision in a compact body: We are the first to combine atomic-scale sensitivity with dynamic aerodynamics to detect what was previously invisible to magnetic surveys.

We do not sell hardware. We provide a turn-key airborne magnetics service and deliver raw and/or post-processed data.

Ready to transform your exploration workflow?

Contact us for a demo

BlueCap LiDAR drone Laser System

Project enquiry

Start with the survey decision

Share the target area, terrain, line spacing, required outputs and operating constraints. We will review whether the project is a suitable fit.

Discuss a projectBlueCap Survey Portal

  1. Define the survey

    Survey boundary, access points, terrain context and operating constraints.

  2. Build the scope

    Coverage geometry, line distance, duration and project inputs.

  3. Design the mission

    Terrain-aware flight lines, altitude, speed and sensor geometry.

  4. Acquire and review

    Field acquisition progress, preliminary coverage and QA/QC indicators.

  5. Process and deliver

    Processing outputs, approved reports and final datasets.