An application for measuring ionising radiation
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November 20, 2018The Dosimetry, Computer Graphics and Robotics Areas of the Biomedical Engineering Research Centre (CREB UPC) are participating in PODIUM (Personal Online Dosimetry Using Computational Methods), a project that will improve the dosimetry monitoring of people exposed to ionising radiation.
The aim of the project is to improve occupational dosimetry from an innovative approach based on an application that can be used to calculate the dose extremely rapidly, to provide real-time data (online). The application will calculate dosimetric values of interest, as well as the dose in specific organs that are particularly exposed (lens, brain and limbs), without having to use physical dosimeters. The technology is based on automatically identifying and monitoring the position of workers with respect to the bundle of radiation through depth cameras, and the use of Monte Carlo simulation codes for transport of the radiation to calculate the dose received in each situation.
The project results could help to resolve problems associated with passive and electronic detectors, and improve dose determination in neutron radiation or in photon radiation when part of the body is protected and another part is not, as occurs in the area of interventional radiology (angiography, etc.). This solution can also prevent errors in determinations due to bad positioning of the detectors, or a lack of results if a personal dosimeter is lost.
The individualised monitoring of workers exposed to external ionising radiation is essential to apply the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) safety principle, to ensure that the legal exposure limits are not surpassed. In addition, the new focus will increase workers’ awareness of protecting against radiation, and will be used to optimise ALARA in routine practices.
The Project is funded by the "European Joint Programme for the Integration of Radiation Protection Research" and will last 24 months (2018-2020). The total budget is 1,399,930 euros. Seven European organisations form part of the programme, and the coordinator is the Belgium Research Centre SCK-CEN.
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