Developed initially for several federal agencies, turns your phone into a detector of ionizing radiation. The GammaPix technology has been successfully tested at independent labs with calibrated sources. It was developed with support from the U.S. Department of Defense, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (U.S. Department of Homeland Security), and the Transportation Research Board (U.S. National Academy of Sciences). We were encouraged by them to bring this technology to the public.
Worried about accidental exposure to radioactive material or acts of terrorism? The GammaPix App can provide timely warning of the presence of radioactivity using nothing more than your phone's camera. While it is NOT meant to be a substitute for dedicated ionizing radiation detectors, it is a rapid and convenient way of making preliminary threat estimates.
We hope you enjoy using GammaPix!
Notes:
• Various circumstances may compromise the measurement or make the results inaccurate.
• Automatic monitoring will use ~1-5% of your battery, but could warn you of radiation even when not using the App.
• A 5 to 10-minute initialization is required before you use the application for the first time. We know this step slows you down, but it really is necessary to get the best results. Please perform this step in a place you know is likely to be free of excessive radioactivity, with your device cool and unplugged.
• For best results make sure no light is getting into the camera when you run the GammaPix App. Putting the phone in your pocket or covering it with a book works well.
• A reading takes about 3 to 5 minutes if there's no danger. Dangerous levels will be reported sooner.
• Try out Settings > Use long third stage for a more sensitive reading!
• The GammaPix App will not work on some phone models because the camera optimization at low light levels gives "bright" pictures.
• Not all phone models have been calibrated. We'll use your readings to provide a calibration for your model. The more you take, the sooner we'll have a calibration.