Abstract

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is an optical technique for performing chemical analysis of a sample. Using a highly focused pulsed laser, a small plasma is generated that provides information on the elements of the sample. One of the advantages of LIBS is the option to perform in situ analysis of unprepared samples. To take advantage of this great potential of the technique, there is a partnership between EESC-USP and Embrapa Instrumentation, which aims to develop a rover with the ability to perform LIBS analysis in autonomous form. Thus, this paper presents the implementation of a part of the LIBS instrument to be embedded in the rover. The Shooting System was designed, modeled and implemented for soil analysis, working autonomously on the rover. System tests have shown that it is possible to properly focus laser pulses on a sample to generate spectroscopically useful plasma.