Saturday, July 09, 2011

Homeland Security Tests Next-Generation Radiation Detection System Prototypes (Including Roadside Trackers)

The federal government (namely the Department of Homeland Security Domestic Nuclear Detection Office) always has the latest and greatest toys. It gets high-tech radiation detectors, but what do the ordinary citizens get? Do an Internet search for "radiation detectors" and you will mainly see a bunch of non-calibrated radiation detectors from the 1950s/60s Cold War heyday or high-end detectors that are very expensive. The latest DHS toys debuted at a race track and were the following next-generation radiation detection systems: (1) stand-off radiation detection systems; and (2) a roadside tracker.

While crowds filled the stands to watch the Belmont Stakes races in New York in mid-June, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) worked with police from Nassau and Suffolk counties to explore concepts of operation for three experimental next-generation radiation detection systems. The prototype systems are designed to indentify and precisely locate sources of radiation.

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