Toshiba Corp. has developed a gamma camera that can help detect radioactive hot spots and facilitate decontamination, the company said Dec. 13.
Toshiba Corp. has developed a gamma camera that can help detect radioactive hot spots and facilitate decontamination, the company said Dec. 13.
The device displays different colors to indicate levels of radiation.
Toshiba will pitch radiation measurement services using the camera to the Ministry of the Environment, municipalities and other potential customers next year, according to the company.
The camera integrates two sensors--one for assessing radiation levels and another for capturing video.
The device combines two types of signals from the sensors and sends images to the screens on users’ computers or other devices, showing the radiation level of the object appearing on the screen.
Areas with the highest levels of radiation are colored red, making it easier to detect hot spots compared to conventional radiation measurement devices, which typically rely on numeric values to indicate radiation levels, the maker said.
Toshiba cameras with similar features were used in the reactor building of the disabled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The new camera, however, incorporates enhanced sensitivity to radiation and is nearly half the size and weight of the camera used at the nuclear facility. This allows the camera more options for use, particularly with municipalities and other organizations.
Toshiba and the Fukushima municipal government will jointly experiment with the camera by the end of this year before putting it into practical use.