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Arduino geiger counter brings open source radiation detection to the geeky masses (video)
Need to detect radiation? We sure hope not -- but if you're looking for a straight-forward, altogether geeky geiger counter, the Libelium gang has your back. En route to the Tokyo Hackerspace as we speak (and believe us, they need it), the Radiation Sensor Board for Arduino is a low-cost alternative to existing devices. It's available now either with a compatible geiger tube for €95 ($135) or without for €65 ($50). Hit up the source link to get started, but not before peeping the thing in action after the break. Is there anything you can't do with Arduino?
TALON robot gets declawed, helps Japan sniff out radiation (video)
Robotics experts at the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory just taught an old war machine some new tricks, namely radiation detection -- a timely acquisition of knowledge, for sure. Swapping out rocket launchers and machine guns for a suite of radiological sensors, digital cameras, and a GPS device, this modified TALON will be used to map the radiation levels (and create a visual output) surrounding the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The newly modified TALON landed in Japan just last week, joining an existing team of robot helpers already in use in the disaster area, including two additional TALONs equipped with sensors that can identify more than 7500 environmental hazards. Guns for Geiger counters seems like a good trade to us; check the video up top to watch the 'bot try out its treads. [Thanks, John]
Postage stamp-sized wireless Geiger counter
Yogesh Gianchandani, a researcher at the University of Michigan, has developed a tiny wireless Geiger counter that can be used in a network to cover large areas like stadiums or malls and distinguish between harmful and non harmful sources of radiation. And since they're so small (about the size of a postage stamp, as you can see), they can be placed in inconspicous areas, which is both more feasible and much less likely to freak people out than a bunch of dudes in white lab coats walking around with ticking boxes. While development of the device seems to be well on track, it's probably still a ways off from going into production, which means you'll need to look to other solutions if you want to be prepared for when the Commies finally drop the big one.
