The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently developed and demonstrated a network of smartphone-sized mobile devices that can detect trace amounts of radioactive materials.
DARPA said that the new SIGMA devices, paired with larger detectors along major roadways and bridges, provide significantly enhanced awareness of radiation sources and greater advanced warning of possible threats.
Demonstration of the SIGMA system was conducted at one of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s major transportation hubs, where researchers tested more than 100 networked sensors. The month-long test provided more than a 100-fold increase in the ability to locate and identify sources of radiation compared to contemporary systems.
“We are extremely pleased with SIGMA’s achievements to date in advancing radiation detection technology to fit in a portable, pocket-sized form factor at a price that’s a fraction of what current advanced sensors cost,” Vincent Tang, program manager at DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office, said. “The ability to network hundreds, and soon many thousands of these smart detectors would make cities in the United States and around the world safer against a wide variety of radiological and nuclear threats.”
The pocket-sized device can be worn on a user’s belt and is one-tenth of the cost of contemporary sensors. The program achieved its price goal of 10,000 sensors for $400 per unit.