Camera 'measured' the level of radioactivity

Japanese experts have teamed up to create a camera that uses space technology to detect radioactive contamination on the ground.

>>> Camera to record the objects are hidden

More than a year after the nuclear disaster in Japan, an intangible threat still lurked in the areas near the No. 1 Fukushima nuclear power plant.

To solve this problem, experts have successfully built a new camera based on Japanese space technology that allows people to 'see' the level of radiation exposure in the evacuation area around the house. nuclear power plant, 19 km radius.

Areas exposed to nuclear radiation show clearly in front of the new camera - (Photo: Tepco)

The technology works by detecting radioactive particles emitting gamma rays, the light that carries the highest energy in the universe.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) initially developed the technology for the country's upcoming X-ray satellite, called ASTRO-H.

However, they later found a way to integrate the camera into a long-standing name, the Super-wide Angle Compton Camera, which translates Compton's super-wide angle camera, which can detect toxic radioactive substances such as the Cesium. 137 and Cesium 134.

The 180-degree viewing angle of the camera shows the radioactive particles scattering on the ground and on the roof of a village in Fukushima, in an experiment on Feb. 11.

The project was attended by JAXA experts, Japan Atomic Energy Agency and TEPCO Power Plant, according to TEPCO website.