it's called a Quad Scanner. It can be used as survey equipment-- It measures sound waves, radiation, and the composition of objects, among other things. [It was also vital survival equipment, if you ever got stranded in space. Easy location of resources and figuring out what was and wasn't going to kill you if you ate or drank it was helpful.]

I've used it before to locate copper ore in an old mine, so I know how to use it for mining, but... [He frowns a little, leaning on the counter a little.] It doesn't get readings on a lot of things in the village. I think it might be because it can't measure or compute shifted objects.