They wrote a paper on the tech in 2023
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36724616/
Emergency unmanned airborne spectrometric (HPGe) monitoring system
Jan Rusňák 1 , Jiří Šuráň 2 , Jaroslav Šolc 2 , Petr Kovář 2 , Petr Bohuslav 3 , Jiří Nohýl 4
Affiliations
PMID: 36724616 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110677
Free article
Abstract
After a nuclear or radiation event, emergency responders and radiation protection authorities need quick and credible information based on reliable accident and post-accident radiological data. However, risks to people in the vicinity of the source pose serious measurement challenges. Many problems could be solved by unmanned airborne monitoring systems, but the current ones are mostly based on non-spectrometric detectors carried by drones with low bearing, short flying range and flight time. Therefore spectrometric monitoring system based on High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector carried by powerful unmanned helicopter has been developed. The presented unmanned aerial spectrometric system is reliable and heavy-duty and enables quick and safe identification of released radionuclides, thus provides a basis for determining the plant damage state and for planning of emergency and contamination zones. The system will support timely, effective actions that protect the public and environment against the effects of ionizing radiation. The paper describes development and performance tests of this novel system.
Keywords: Airborne radiation monitoring; HPGe; Monte Carlo; Radiation preparedness; UAV.
Copyright © 2023 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.