New Drones to Assist with Nuclear Hazards

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Hazardous nuclear events have the potential to cause huge levels of widespread damage to individuals and the environment. Getting close enough to these incidents to accurately assess the problem can be extremely dangerous.

Following the incident at the Fukushima power plant in Japan in 2011, for example, helicopter pilots assessing the site were exposed to significant amounts of radiation. An AARM system integrates an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a lightweight gamma spectrometer and other positional sensors. It is lightweight and low cost, and able to capture high-resolution images.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

The AARM system could significantly improve the safety and effectiveness of hazard response operations, including rapid response monitoring of nuclear events. The system also supports routine monitoring at nuclear sites and naturally occurring radioactive materials at mining operations and oil and gas facilities.

According to HLS News Wire field demonstrations of the prototype have already been performed at a uranium mining site in Banat, southwest Romania, and validated against traditional surveying methods, attracting strong support from all areas of the U.K. nuclear industry.