Video: DARPA Hosts Radiation Detection Scavenger Hunt

What if a terrorist had a radioactive device or dirty bomb on board a subway car or in a museum, how would you go about detecting it?

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency has been developing a solution to that problem since 2014 with Project SIGMA. It aims to develop and test low-cost, high-efficiency networked-sensors that detect gamma and neutron radiation.

DARPA's largest-ever test of the project took place recently in Washington, D.C. Several hundred volunteers were sent out to the National Mall, each equipped with several pocket-sized radiation detectors to participate in a scavenger hunt. This also tested DARPA's ability to fuse data provided from thousands of sensors to create a real-time map tracking nuclear threats.

"No one has tried to test systems in this manner, in terms of trying to make an experience where folks can actually play a scavenger type game, but at the same time help to solve a lot of technical problems and actually collect a lot of data," said Dr. Vincent Tang, SIGMA program manager at DARPA.

To learn more, check out the video below from DARPA: