UK company launches personal portable radiation detector in Japan

In Tokyo today, UK based platform technology company Kromek has launched RadAngel™, a new high performance but simple to use personal portable radiation detector. It is the first time that a personal radiation detector can distinguish between naturally occurring radiation in the environment and man-made radiation sources.

RadAngel™ uses the most advanced semiconductor detector technology – previously only available to government agencies – to provide accurate radiation readings and, crucially, for the first time, to distinguish between man-made hazardous radiation sources in the environment (such as those from the Fukushima disaster) and typical background radiation.

RadAngel™ uses Kromek’s unique RadBar™ and SDR™ technology to provide a visual identification of the presence of Cesium and other sources of radiation. This technology is not available with other detectors on the market in Japan, such as Geiger counters or simple spectral detectors.

RadAngel™, available to buy in Japan at the end of July 2012, comes with free downloadable Apps for either iOS or Windows driven devices (including iPhones and iPads) allowing users to register products on the dedicated RadAngel™ website www.radangel.net; this website is an integral part of the RadAngel™ product offering. Utilising location services such as installed GPS, data can be exchanged and shared, thereby allowing users to create and participate in an online community that informs local radiation levels and potential issues. The RadAngel community works on the simple principle of Safety in Numbers.

Kromek has been already selling a suite of products for a number of years in Japan, and successfully differentiating itself from competitors through its unique technology.

Arnab Basu, Kromek's CEO, said, “While we have a portfolio of radiation detector products using our technology already available in Japan, this is the first time that it has been made available for use outside government agencies and to a consumer audience.”

In May 2011, after the nuclear disaster, Kromek’s technology was used to measure radiation levels of the concrete rubble scattered in the Fukushima nuclear power plant. This was when Cesium 134 and Cesium 137 (radiation associated with man-made nuclear disasters) were distinguished among residual radiation materials for the first time.

RadAngel features and benefits

– High performance Cesium indicator: Advanced, robust, lightweight and simple to use personal radiation detector that distinguishes man made hazardous radiation sources from typical background radiation using its unique RadBar™ technology.

– RadBar™: provides full spectral radiation display using an SDR™ technology-enabled dose rate indicator, which enables users to see both dose and the source of radiation at the same time.

– Dedicated RadAngel™ website enables the User to register and to join or create their own community, upload and share data and results and keep up to date with community information.

– Other features include: Free App for iOS or Windows system. Lithium-ion battery with long operation time (up to eight hours once fully charged).

– Requirements: Connects to Windows PC (XP, Vista, 7), laptop, tablet, or iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch with Apple iOS software.

Kromek will also shortly be launching FoodAngel™, an accessory to RadAngel™ for use in the kitchen. This will enable the users to check whether food, soil, or water is contaminated with Cesium and will be available to buy in August 2012.

Visit: www.radangel.net