Long-Range Imaging of Alpha Emitters Using Radioluminescence in Open Environments: Daytime and Night-Time Applications.

Alpha emitters like plutonium pose severe health risks when ingested, damaging DNA and potentially causing cancer. Traditional detection methods require proximity within millimeters of the contamination source, presenting safety risks and operational inefficiencies. Long-range detection through alpha radioluminescence (RL) offers a promising alternative.

Advancements in Remote Alpha Radiation Detection: Alpha-Induced Radio-Luminescence Imaging with Enhanced Ambient Light Suppression.

Heavy nuclides like uranium and their decay products are commonly found in nuclear industries and can pose a significant health risk to humans due to their alpha-emitting properties. Traditional alpha detectors require close contact with the contaminated surface, which can be time-consuming, labour-intensive, and put personnel at risk. Remote detection is urgently needed but very challenging.

A highly scalable and autonomous spectroscopic radiation mapping system with resilient IoT detector units for dosimetry, safety and security.

Technologies utilizing radiological materials across power generation, defence, industry, research and medicine have increased the global inventory of highly active and hazardous materials. Consequently, an amplified threat exists of illicitly obtained materials being used as part of hostile acts. The potential for intentional releases occurs alongside risks from natural disasters or facility accidents.

Raptor wing morphing with flight speed.

In gliding flight, birds morph their wings and tails to control their flight trajectory and speed. Using high-resolution videogrammetry, we reconstructed accurate and detailed three-dimensional geometries of gliding flights for three raptors (barn owl, ; tawny owl, , and goshawk, ). Wing shapes were highly repeatable and shoulder actuation was a key component of reconfiguring the overall planform and controlling angle of attack.

Radioactive Source Localisation via Projective Linear Reconstruction.

Radiation mapping, through the detection of ionising gamma-ray emissions, is an important technique used across the nuclear industry to characterise environments over a range of length scales. In complex scenarios, the precise localisation and activity of radiological sources becomes difficult to determine due to the inability to directly image gamma photon emissions. This is a result of the potentially unknown number of sources combined with uncertainties associated with the source-detector separation-causing an apparent 'blurring' of the as-detected radiation field relative to the true distribution.

Corrigendum: Radiological Mapping of Post-Disaster Nuclear Environments Using Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Systems: A Study From Chornobyl.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2019.

Radiation Mapping and Laser Profiling Using a Robotic Manipulator.

The use of a robotic arm manipulator as a platform for coincident radiation mapping and laser profiling of radioactive sources on a flat surface is investigated in this work. A combined scanning head, integrating a micro-gamma spectrometer and Time of Flight (ToF) sensor were moved in a raster scan pattern across the surface, autonomously undertaken by the robot arm over a 600 × 260 mm survey area. A series of radioactive sources of different emission intensities were scanned in different configurations to test the accuracy and sensitivity of the system.

Radiological Mapping of Post-Disaster Nuclear Environments Using Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Systems: A Study From Chornobyl.

In the immediate aftermath following a large-scale release of radioactive material into the environment, it is necessary to determine the spatial distribution of radioactivity quickly. At present, this is conducted by utilizing manned aircraft equipped with large-volume radiation detection systems. Whilst these are capable of mapping large areas quickly, they suffer from a low spatial resolution due to the operating altitude of the aircraft.