[Experiment] Autonomous localization of multiple ionizing radiation sources using Compton cameras

This video presents a real-world experiment for the "Autonomous localization of multiple ionizing radiation sources using miniature single-layer Compton cameras onboard a group of micro aerial vehicles" paper published at the IROS 2024 conference.
Abstract:
A novel method for autonomous localization of multiple sources of gamma radiation using a group of Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) is presented in this paper. The method utilizes an extremely lightweight (44 g) Compton camera MiniPIX TPX3. The compact size of the detector allows for deployment onboard safe and agile small-scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The proposed radiation mapping approach fuses measurements from multiple distributed Compton camera sensors to accurately estimate the positions of multiple radioactive sources in real time. Unlike commonly used intensity-based detectors, the Compton camera reconstructs the set of possible directions towards a radiation source from just a single ionizing particle. Therefore, the proposed approach can localize radiation sources without having to estimate the gradient of a radiation field or contour lines, which require longer measurements. The instant estimation is able to fully exploit the potential of highly mobile MAVs. The radiation mapping method is combined with an active search strategy, which coordinates the future actions of the MAVs in order to improve the quality of the estimate of the sources’ positions, as well as to explore the area of interest faster. The proposed solution is evaluated in simulation and real-world experiments with multiple Cesium-137 radiation sources.
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An MRS open-source research UAV platform was used for experiments presented in this video. See mrs.felk.cvut.c... for details and the source code of the MRS UAV platform, which enables all essential capabilities for research, development, and testing of novel methods. For publications describing the applied system and control stack, see:
Tomas Baca, Matej Petrlik, Matous Vrba, Vojtech Spurny, Robert Penicka, Daniel Hert and Martin Saska, “The MRS UAV System: Pushing the Frontiers of Reproducible Research, Real-world Deployment, and Education with Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,” Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems 102(26):1-28, May 2021.
link.springer....
D. Hert et al., "MRS Modular UAV Hardware Platforms for Supporting Research in Real-World Outdoor and Indoor Environments," 2022 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS), 2022, pp. 1264-1273, doi: 10.1109/ICUAS54217.2022.983608 (ieeexplore.iee...)
This work was accomplished by the MRS group at CTU in Prague mrs.felk.cvut.cz . For more experiments with the MRS UAV research platforms, see mrs.felk.cvut.c...