Geolyzer
The geolyzer can be used by computers to scan the terrain surrounding the geolyzer for the blocks' approximate hardness. This can be useful to generate maps of the area to display on hologram projectors as well as to detect potentially valuable blocks (ores are usually harder than dirt and stone). Geolyzer scan results have a certain amount of noise added; in theory, multiple scans can be performed to determine a more accurate reading of a block's hardness level.
The geolyzer can also be installed in robots and tablets as an upgrade to allow them to scan their surroundings. Performing a scan will consume some energy, though, so using it excessively will drain the device's batteries.