Czech scientists develop drones for detecting radioactivity
Czech scientists are developing a new technology that could help in accidents involving radioactive materials. Called the RaDron, it combines autonomous drones with unique particle detectors, which can expose even unknown sources of radiation.
Scientists from the Multirobotic Systems Group at the Czech Technical University’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering have long been involved in developing advanced autonomous drones.
In the past, they have worked, for instance, on a fire extinguisher for skyscrapers, and they can program swarms of drones that search for people lost in the wild.
Tomáš Báča, one of the members of the team, explains what makes the latest task particularly challenging:
“What is specific about this task is that we are measuring something that is not visible. With drones, we usually use conventional cameras or lidars, which provide us with data that we can easily understand. But when we measure radiation that is not visible to the human eye, it is something very special.”
The advantage of the drone is that it is completely autonomous and can be used in difficult access terrains or in low visibility. However, that is just one part of the RaDron project. The other is the measurement of radiation, which is normally done with conventional dosimeter technology.
In case of the RaDron, the drone is equipped with a unique particle detector, that can quickly and accurately locate the source of radiation, including a moving one, explains Jiří Šesták from Advacam, the company involved in its development:
“I am holding a particle camera, which we call an ionising radiation detector. The camera works on the principle of a chip that is sensitive to any particle of ionising radiation. It is equipped with so-called readout electronics that process the signal detected by the chip.”
Compared to conventional instruments, you essentially get three-dimensional information about the location of the radiation, says Mr. Šesták:
“The sensor on the chip is unique in that it is made of cadmium telluride. It is two millimetres thick and it allows us to pick up the direction from which the particles are coming. The software then evaluates and extrapolates the direction. That way we can determine where the radiation is coming from.”
The newly-developed technology could be used for example during fires at radiological facilities, in searching for stolen radiation sources or in case of accidents during transport of radioactive materials.
However, it could also help experts at the Nuclear Research Institute in Řež who work with radioactive waste, explains Karel Prchal, head of the Radioactive Waste Management Department, which is in charge of processing and treating most of the country’s radioactive waste generated in industry, hospitals and other workplaces.
“It will help us a lot, because it can help us identify the source of radiation but also to locate it, so we don’t have to waste time by tracking it down.”
