Vidiation turns regular cameras into radiation detectors
Technology relies on the effect of radiation on CCD sensors; approach permits clients to keep existing camera systems while offering an inexpensiive way to monitor for dirty bombs
One common theme in homeland security technology, especially in the surveillaance and critical infrastructure segments, is the mixing and matching of different systems in order to offer a single comprehensive solution to particular problems. Take Lake Zurich, Illinois-based Vidiation as a prime example: the company has devised a clever way of turning normal digital cameras into radiation detectors — a smart move because selling the product does not require convincing clients to junk their existing CCTV systems, nor do they have purchase vastly expensive portal devices, or inefficient handheld systems. The technology works (.pdf) by measuring the effect of radiation on CCD sensors (charge-coupled device, or one of the two main ways digital cameras convert light into electrons.) Best of all, the system can be integrated into smart video systems, so that when radiation is detected, other cameras neear by swing into action to identify its exact source. If a person was carrying the radiation, the system would be able to trace his movements as well. The technology is so sensitive, the company says, that it can even identify the type of radioactive material involved, distinguishing, say, between Cesium-137 and Iridium-192.
