Use your iPhone to measure ambient radioactivity!
This application uses a proprietary algorithm to detect the passage of ionizing radiation through the camera chip located on the backside of your iPhone.
The number of hits per time unit is then used to compute the ambient radioactivity level.
This application has been tested in a nuclear research center, using different radioactivity sources (Cs-137, Co-60, Sr-90, Na-22) and an X-Ray generator (20-450keV). It detects gamma and X rays.
The radioactivity level displayed is calibrated with a Cs-137 source ; this is one of the main radioactive isotopes released in the environment when a major accident happens in a nuclear reactor.
Using this application requires to temporarily occult the camera window. If you have an iPhone 4 or 4S, you can just place the device on a flat, opaque surface such as a table; if you have an iPhone 3GS, put a small piece of cardboard over the camera window, and attach it to the iPhone using some adhesive material.
The application has several screens:
- alert (quick measure, takes only 30 seconds to indicate if the ambient radioactivity is very high)
- mesure (takes between 1 minute and one hour, measures ambient radioactivity between 20nSv/h and 10mSv/h)
- measure map (shows position and value of recent measures performed by all iRad users, at a location of your choice).