On December 16, 2024, China Central Television's News Channel (CCTV-13) and the CCTV News app presented a special live broadcast marking the 50th anniversary of the archaeological excavation of the Qin Terracotta Warriors. A joint archaeological team formed by Chengdu Miji Technology Co., Ltd., the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) and Zhejiang University had recently entered the Qin Terracotta Warriors archaeological site in Xi'an, applying its self-developed terahertz 3D non-destructive testing technology to the archaeological conservation of the Terracotta Warriors for the first time.
At the live broadcast site, Professor Hu Min — founder of Miji Technology and professor at UESTC — led the company's executive Dr. Zhang Qi and the technical team in performing terahertz imaging inspection of the Terracotta Warriors. The team innovatively adopted a visible-light/terahertz optoelectronic-fusion non-destructive testing approach to precisely detect and analyze the relics on site. The results not only clearly presented the fine surface features of the relics, but also helped identify their internal structure, composition and potential defects. Experts at the scene unanimously spoke highly of the inspection results.
During the live program, a reporter interviewed Professor Hu Min to learn more. Professor Hu explained and analyzed the technology from multiple perspectives, including terahertz theory, computer simulation demonstrations and actual detection results.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the archaeological excavation of the Qin Terracotta Warriors, and technology-enabled archaeology has become an emerging tool for revealing the glory of ancient civilizations and supporting the preservation of cultural relics along the Belt and Road. The 3D terahertz non-destructive testing system developed by Miji Technology integrates structured light, a robotic arm and the latest terahertz imaging technology, and can be used for surface coating inspection of three-dimensional objects. Adopting an optoelectronic fusion approach, the system enables automatic path-planning scans over 3D object surfaces, presenting coating thickness and defects in real time.
The team has already applied the system to 3D inspection of surfaces such as ship paint, automotive paint, aircraft and cultural relics. In its earlier work serving the Sanxingdui archaeological project, Miji Technology achieved multi-layer inspection and compositional analysis of relics from the surface to the interior. The mature application of this technology will further support the refined conservation of the Qin Terracotta Warriors, and provide strong support for the digital preservation and research of numerous cultural heritage sites along the route — demonstrating the historical glory of diverse civilizations under the Belt and Road Initiative and the boundless possibilities empowered by modern technology.
Text | Tang Fu, Deng Guoliang
Layout | Xiang Shaolian