Scientists at Idaho National Laboratory have created an Android app called CellRAD. The app turns smartphone cameras into radiation detectors, and has been tested with four smartphone models (Samsung Nexus S, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung SIII and LG Nexus 4).
Without the aid of any extra hardware, users could get a warning on their phones when they approach potentially harmful levels of gamma radiation.
They concluded that the phones have the processing power to detect gamma radiation with their built-in cameras and to measure levels on the phone. With the help of a program on a remote server, the app captures and measures an average energy level, then uses a model to figure out what types of radioactive material could be emitting the radiation.
“Basically, once your phone has been calibrated with the app, you’ll have a radiation detector in your pocket,” the researchers said.
“Up until fairly recently, people weren’t carrying around cameras with computers attached to them pretty much all the time,” says Joshua Cogliati, one of the researchers. “That’s why it’s happening now.”
The development of the app was funded by a grant from the Department of Defence and could be useful for firefighters, police officers and other first responders, according to its creator.
You can download the android version here on Google Play.
