Technabob » radiation

iPhone Geiger Counter Module Offers Portable Radiation Detection

Range — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 23:30:14 +0000

This hack allows for people concerned about radiation to use a Geiger counter with their iPhones. It could come in handy, especially if there are more disasters like Fukushima.

The iPhone Geiger counter has a case that was designed by Rick Pannen. He created the design in FreeCAD and had it CNC milled out of a solid block of POM plastic. It’s loaded with a custom-milled PCB and a surplus SI-29BG Russian Geiger-Müller tube that was sourced through eBay. The circuit was designed by BroHogan of DIYGeigerCounter and it connects with the iPhone via the audio jack.

It runs ND Apps’ Geiger Bot, an iOS app that interfaces with geiger counter modules, and it’s the first prototype of a projected series. It will be interesting to see how much he can streamline this design in future.

[Phlegmatic Prototyping via Make:]

Wi-Fi and Gonads Don’t Mix, Says Study

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:00:27 +0000

Guys, if you are the sort that uses a notebook with Wi-Fi running in your lap all day long, there is a new reason not to. Over the past few years, the main reason to not do that for me was the fact that notebooks were randomly catching fire. No one wants a battery fire on their kiwis.

Now, the latest reason is that researchers are claiming that Wi-Fi radiation kills sperm. A team of scientists from Argentina found 29 guys willing to upload into a sample container for the study. Part of the sperm was placed under a notebook with Wi-Fi running and another sample portion was placed away from Wi-Fi at the same temperature.

Apparently, once the sperm was looked at under the microscope, 25% exposed to Wi-Fi signals were no longer swimming. The control group with no Wi-Fi exposure saw only 14% of the sample no longer swimming. Other scientists say that there isn’t anything to worry about yet. This is just one small sample, and an artificial setup, so it might not have any real world implications.

[via Reuters]

Scosche RDTX pro Portable Radiation Detector for iPhone Heads to Japan

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:00:38 +0000

I have seen plenty of videos of the devastation caused by the earthquake in Japan and the resulting tsunami and I still can’t wrap my head around the scope of the disaster. Coupled with the devastation from the natural disaster with the radiation that leaked from the Fukushima nuclear plant and the people in the region of Japan so hard hit have much to worry about.

To help keep tabs on their safety, Scosche has a new product called the RDTX pro that is it aiming at people in Japan and other places that want to keep an eye on radiation levels. The device is a small handheld radiation detector that can detect gamma radiation. The sensor attaches to the charge and sync port for the iPhone or iPod Touch, and sends data to an app for viewing. It can also be used as a remote sensor without the iPhone.

The app offers a single analog looking gauge with green, yellow, and red areas. You can also switch the screen to a detailed meter that will offer the exact reading. The app allows sharing of readings on Facebook as well. The device isn’t shipping just yet, but it will cost $349.99 (USD) when it does ship and $10 of that amount will be donated to relief and clean up efforts in Japan.

The Fukushima Plate Makes Sure Your Food Ain’t Garnished With A Side Of Radiation

Hazel Chua — Sat, 07 May 2011 15:00:13 +0000

The nuclear crisis that followed after the earthquake and tsunami rocked Japan caused a lot of people to panic. This resulted in geiger counters and radiation detectors selling out on the web a few hours after it was announced that the damaged nuclear plants in Fukushima were leaking and that trace amounts of radiation had been found to cross the seas onto the shores of California.

So it’s only fitting that this concept by Nils Ferber is aptly named the Fukushima Plate.

Because of the nuclear disaster, a lot of reports have come in saying that the majority of Japan’s food supply was contaminated with radiation. The Fukushima Plate is basically an ordinary plate that’s been fitted with a radiation meter.

In case you’ve got some foodstuff that’s imported from the Land of the Rising Sun, just heap it all up onto the Fukushima Plate and wait for the OLED rings to come on to tell you that it’s not safe to eat. While it looks pretty when it’s all lit up, what you’re aiming for here is actually no rings because that will mean that there’s no radiation in your food.

What do you think? Does the Fukushima Plate deserve to see the light of day and be made available commercially?

[via Dvice]

Tokyoflash Radiation Level LED Watch Concept: Post-Apocalyptic Timepiece

Lambert Varias — Sun, 01 May 2011 12:52:16 +0000

I can see how this concept watch submitted by a Japanese designer might be considered crass by some, especially in light of the situation in Fukushima. Honestly, when I saw it the first thing that came to my mind was Fallout and the game’s Pip-Boy wrist computer. The watch doesn’t really measure radiation levels though, the displays are just styled that way.

In keeping with Tokyoflash strict standards of not being practical as a timepiece, the minutes and hours are divided between three displays:

Here’s an animated video of the watch:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Judging from the comments on Tokyoflash’s website, this would sell well if it was turned into an actual product, although honestly it’s a tad too childish for me. At least it’s not that hard to read compared to the other watches that Tokyoflash makes.

[via Ubergizmo]

Make Your Own Geiger Counter Using Arduino

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:09:12 +0000

If you worry about radiation with all the post-quake nuclear troubles, going on in Japan, you can build your own radiation detector if you feel the need. The Libelium team decided that they wanted to put together a project that would let those living in Japan keep track of the radiation.

The team built a DIY Geiger counter using Arduino and some hard work. Apparently, the expensive part is getting that brass tube, which is the radiation detector part. The team has verified what tubes will work with their setup and listed them up on their website. Many of these tubes can be found over on eBay. The gang of geeks already shipped an initial batch of them to hacker groups in Japan at no cost, in hopes of spreading the word.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The entire thing looks really compact too. I would worry about its longevity though with all the parts exposed to the elements when in use, a case might be in order.

[via Hackaday]

Pong Anti-Radiation Cellphone Case: Proven to Protect Users From Something That May or May Not be Harmful

Lambert Varias — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:57:59 +0000

I’m finding it hard to take Pong Research seriously because, well, “Pong Research”. I didn’t think I’d ever see those two words combine to stand for something serious. Yet here it is, so let’s get on with it. While it has not (yet) been proven that cellphone radiation has harmful effects to our body, Pong Research has, um – sorry I had to suppress a few rebellious giggles. Okay – breathes deeply – let’s go: Pong Research has developed anti-radiation cases for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and Blackberry Curve.

The Pong anti-radiation cases are mostly made of silicone, but the thing that really separates them from other cellphone cases is the “Pong gold PCB module” embedded in the case. As stated in a Wired article, the module has been proven to reduce the radiation from an iPhone into a users’ head to “a third of what it would be without the case.” Here’s a diagram of an ear farting the radiation being diverted/reflected/whisked away by the case:

The Pong case reduces the radiation going to into a users’ head with practically no signal loss; in fact Pong Research even says, “you may find that your communication efficiency actually improves with the use of the Pong case.” You can order the iPhone 3G/3GS-compatible Pong case for $60 (USD) at the Pong Research online store; the Blackberry Curve case (only compatible with models 8300, 8310, 8320 and 8330), also available at the store, sells for $50.

What do you guys think? Willing to drop $70 for something that might very well be unnecessary? And how about that “Pong Research” name eh? What’s up with that?

[via uncrate]

Geiger Counter Pc Casemod Can’T Play Half-Life

Technabob — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:55:43 +0000

Before all you budding nuclear physicists attempt to correct me, I know this isn’t truly a Geiger Counter. It’s actually one of those Cold-War era Ion Chamber radiation detectors. But that’s not what most of us think, so I’ll stick with the more familiar Geiger name. Regardless, this computer casemod won’t actually detect radioactivity, but the nuke gauge will kick in when you power on the PC with a flip of the original sensitivity dial.

Because of the cramped quarters inside the box, the Russian-built Fallout Terminal [UPDATE: Turns out that it's actually the brainchild of a guy going by the name Widefault -- see comment #2 below] Civil Defense computer isn’t very powerful — running an anemic 300 MHz CPU, 256MB of RAM and a 4GB Compact Flash card for storage. Heck, it probably isn’t even powerful enough to play the original Fallout or Half-Life. But with the proper Atari 800 emulator installed, it might be able to play a game of SCRAM (Remember gaming genius Chris Crawford? Ah, memories.)

[Read Full Worklog]

Nukalert: Radiation Detector for the Paranoid

Technabob — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:35:57 +0000

If this season’s storyline on 24 has you worried about the threat of nuclear terrorism, you might want to pick up one of these little gadgets.

The $160 NukAlert keychain radiation monitor automatically warns you of the unseen atomic threat anywhere you go. The pocket-sized device can detect radiation from 100 mR/hr to 5,000 R/hr, for those of you who know what that means. The thing that scares me most is how the maker claims “each unit individually radiation accuracy tested.” Wouldn’t the only way to do that be to expose the thing to radiation?

Chances are by the time this thing goes off, you’ll already have met some sort of untimely fate.

[via ThisNext]