Manufacturing and applying an UAV equipped with a gamma detection system for fast radiation mapping and finding weak radioactive hotspots

This radiological monitoring system consisting of a 2-inch NaI(Tl) crystal coupled to a PM tube and mounted on a multi-rotor UAV has been developed to fast detect radioactive sources. To assess its performance, a set of experiments for the detection of low-level Co-60 and Cs-137 point sources in a soccer field was performed. Then, the radiological map was made and then fused with the geographical one using image processing techniques. The results show that at 50 cm, all 5-point sources were successfully identified in their actual locations. By decreasing the flight height, the ability of the drone-based radiological monitor in recognizing radioactive sources significantly increases. The results confirmed that the drone system with the scintillation detector enabled the accurately identifying radiological anomalies by surveying a contaminated area.