General Electric [GE] said its GE Global Research center has received a potential $4.2 million contract from the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) to further develop pocket-size personal radiation detectors and combine them with intelligent video technology to detect radioactive materials in a moving vehicle or person.
The detection technology is based on work GE is already doing for DNDO in the development of a technology demonstrator under the Intelligent Personal Radiation Locator program. For GE’s Target Linked Radiation Imaging System, detectors and cameras can be used to monitor an area the size of a football field to both detect and track potential targets.
GE said the system will be able to differentiate harmless materials, such as medical isotopes and naturally occurring radioactive materials, from threats.
GE said the project is exploratory research aimed at investigating the limits of the technology’s capabilities. Potential uses of the system include monitoring government buildings, plazas, subway terminals, bridges and tunnels, airport checkpoints and sports stadiums.