Using radiation meters to map out radioactive hotspots is a time consuming process. So to assist the cleanup efforts around Fukushima City, Toshiba has developed a portable video camera that provides real-time visualizations of where those dangerous hotspots might be.
Because it's packed with radioactive shielding to protect the components inside, the portable 22 pound camera is still a bit on the bulky side. But by combining a camcorder with a gamma ray detector, the unit can display real-time overlays indicating radiation levels using a red (dangerous) to blue (less dangerous) color scale.
Like all of the recent innovations in radiation detection and cleanup, the camera is being field tested in and around the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant. After that, Toshiba hopes to see it used across the country to make it easier to determine just how far the leaks have spread. [Tech-On!]