news

The Hackaday Prize 2015 Finals

The uRADMonitor model D, or the Portable Environmental Monitor, has entered this year’s Hackaday Prize competition, throwing in a complex hardware design, backed by a matching software infrastructure implemented with thousands of lines of code. What started with a simple hand drawn diagram was followed later by the Beta prototype and finally led to the […]

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Bosch BME680

The BME680 is an integrated environmental sensor developed specifically for mobile applications and wearables, where size and low power consumption are key requirements (source). Thanks to Bosch Sensortec, several BME680 samples have been provided to assist further development of the uRADMonitor-D project and support the monitor’s air quality assertion. The part of the uRADMonitor-D code […]

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First prize at Arad Innovation Fair 2015

The Regional Innovation Fair 2015 aims to promote innovative technologies and solutions and brings together business and research professionals allowing you to open new business channels, exchange contacts and discuss potential cooperation in West Region, Romania. uRADMonitor is honoured to take the first prize, and is committed to continue delivering monitoring solutions, to track pollutions […]

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Pollution monitor meets 3d printing

The portable environmental monitor is finalist in both categories of the Hackaday Project, Best Product and the GrandPrize but the development doesn’t stop here. We’ve managed to put together a complex piece of equipment that also has an appealing design. One thing missing was a proper bezel to protect the LCD and to hide the […]

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Hackaday Prize 2015 Grand Prize Finals

The portable environmental monitor project or the uRADMonitor-D was announced today as one of the 10 finalists of the Hackaday Prize 2015, from a total of almost 1000 initial entries. With this highly honourable distinction, the uRADMonitor project is committed to continue its mission of tracking health threatening pollutants at global scale. By expanding the […]

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Hackaday Prize 2015 Best product finals

The portable environmental monitor project or the uRADMonitor Model D, had its Finals deadline today, for the Hackaday Prize 2015 Best product category, where it competes with nine other projects for the grand prize. A series of upgrades have been introduced, to meet the competition requirements, but also improve the project forward. These include the […]

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Model D – Production Ready!

The portable environmental monitor addresses pollution, the kind that we are unable to see but directly affects our health and can cause life threatening diseases. Airborne toxic chemicals, radioactive dust and radioactive radon are correlated with cases of pulmonary cancer, asthma and heart disease. Since our biological senses can do little to warn us of […]

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Server upgrade / Site v4.0

The complexity of the uRADMonitor system stretches from a multitude of compact hardware detectors capable of sensing the invisible ionising radiation and air quality, to the big data software solutions that can handle the huge amounts of data in real time. With the network spreading at a fast pace, periodic upgrades on the server side […]

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Nominated at CESAwards2015

uRADMonitor got into the shortlist of nominees for the Central European Startup Awards 2015, for the Best Cloud/Data application category. The Central European Startup Awards is a unique series of events in the CEE region, launched in 2014 to gather the best of the best from the CEE startup community. This competition covers 10 countries […]

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uRADMonitor Model D Beta

The uRADMonitor-D, also known as the Portable Environmental Monitor is a powerful handheld unit equipped with advanced sensors to detect and warn against hazardous airborne substances. Three Beta stage prototypes are currently in transit for the Hackaday Headquarters to be part of the Hackaday Prize 2015 competition. Fingers crossed, winning this would boost the uRADMonitor […]

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First uRADMonitor Model D prototype is ready

The first uRADMonitor-D hardware prototype is ready, while the software is still under development. See the progress and read more details here: http://www.pocketmagic.net/the-first-prototype/

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uRADMonitor Model D featured on HackADay

The uRADMonitor-D, racing for this year’s HaD Prize, has been featured on HackADay Support this project by voting, using the skull button on the project page. You can follow it to stay in touch and receive update notifications

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First uRADMonitor unit in Middle East

The temperature levels in Kuwait are high. The highest recorded temperature was 54.4°C (129.92°F), but summer values often reach 50°C (122°F). On the other hand background radiation stays in normal levels, as measured by the first uRADMonitor unit in Middle East that just went online: The following image shows a quick comparison between various locations. […]

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uRADMonitor in Shenzhen, China

Unit 1100007D went online in Shenzhen, China, showing slightly elevated radiation readings: This unit is located in an industrial electronics production centre. Its purpose is more connected to future uRADMonitor production than to environmental surveillance, so the readings might go offline from time to time. Other units in that part of the world, include the […]

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uRADMonitor model D Concept

The uRADMonitor project started with a single network connected automated dosimeter, that quickly proved its usefulness and spawned into a global scale, full fledged monitoring network, covering all major continents. At the core of the entire infrastructure are the low power automated dosimeter units, at the moment of this article available as the uRADMonitor model […]

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Featured on The Green Optimistic

If your concerns on a healthy environment extend from Ionising Radiation to multiple other environmental hazards, you’ll be most pleased to know that uRADMonitor has been featured on The Green Optimistic, part of an in depth analysis of our radiation detector! With their huge experience on enviromental-friendly technologies going back to 2008, they have a […]

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Hackaday Prize 2015

The uRADMonitor project owes a considerable part of its exposure to the Hackaday Prize 2014 Edition, where it was one of the 50 semifinalists out of a large number of participants. Tomorrow, March 10, the 2015 edition of this prestigious competition is taking a new start. They are throwing huge resources in the game, in […]

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Two hundred uRADMonitor units

Not long after the 2014 summary announced a first achievement of 100 units deployed globally, the network has already doubled its size, with a total of two hundred units installed or in transit to their new location. The new locations are many and it would be a rather complicated task to name them all in […]

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Model A New firmware v111

With the uRADMonitor network covering more ground, constant effort is invested in making the project serve its purpose better. Code improvements come with extra features or better stability, and new firmware updates are released to anyone interested in upgrading their units. Firmware 111 is the latest code released for the uRADMonitor model A units. We […]

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Model A firmware upgrade guide

As a project targeting global coverage, uRADMonitor was designed with all the important features right from the start: the units are plug and play, the network settings are automated via DHCP, the location is estimated automatically based on IP and so turning the unit on is enough to have a new node on the map, […]

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A year to remember

2014’s last day is slowly passing by. For what uRADMonitor is concerned, the passing year was one to remember. It was 2014 where this entire project practically started: it moved from an idea to a prototype and then into production, for now to see it expand quickly all over the world. The solution is already […]

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Poland on the map with two units

With some of the new units still in transit, or waiting to get installed, a few others are already up an running. From the list of firsts, it is the time of Poland to come forward with two brand new uRADMonitor radiation monitoring stations in two of the country’s biggest cities: Warsaw and Łódź The […]

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A new Radiation monitor in Akron, OH USA

Akron joined the uRADMonitor network with yet another ionising radiation automated dosimeter. 1100002E Akron, OH USA All the other data is available on the radiation map page. To get a uRADMonitor dosimeter and help the project, see join the network.

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Hard to solder

​It’s been another day, full of…soldering. To cover the high demand, I’ve been hard at work producing more units for those interested in helping the network expand. Here’s more than 20 PCBs. Tubes will be added later, also the software, and the calibration tests. It’s a lot of work, but the neat results make it […]

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Powering the uRADMonitor via PoE

When I received my URAD Monitor, I was trying to think of the best placement where it would satisfy the requirement to be outdoors but still remain close to a power source.  Having worked with PoE WiFi devices before, I contacted Radu to mention a PoE solution I was considering.  Since I was able to […]

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uRADMonitor Model A featured on EEVblog Mailbag

Dave Jones, from EEVBlog, did a nice review of uRADMonitor and covered everything from unpacking the unit to powering it up and getting the data online. Take a few minutes to watch Episode 686: Interested in joining the network? Click here.

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The uRADMonitor network is expanding

Following the units in Norway, the network has registered a high number of new units going online from all over the world. Canada, USA and Europe, all have new radiation monitors: 11000024 in Vancouver, Canada 1100001F in Richmond, Canada 1100001B close to Detroit, USA 1100001C in Jeannette, close to Pittsburgh, USA 1100001A in Abingdon, close […]

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Norway joining the network

Two units went online in Norway, the 11000016 in Oslo, and the 11000013 in Sandefjord. The measurements show higher readings compared to the tests performed in Timisoara: The Northern Europe seems to have a relatively higher background radiation. Here is a map that shows some of the background radiation levels measured across parts of Europe. […]

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Bucharest, Romania and Calgary, Canada on the map

Almost each day a new station goes online in an arbitrary location on the map. The new station in Bucharest is the first of its kind right in Romania’s capital city, while the one in Calgary, is the first uRADMonitor unit in Canada. For now both are indicating normal readings and let’s hope they will […]

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Producing the uRADMonitor – New units available

In an effort of expanding the network even further, several new units have been prepared and are ready to ship. But, creating a device that will function perfectly in a distributed environment is not an easy task. Yet, from its relatively early start, uRADMonitor has already spread to all major continents and continues to grow. […]

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Several new units went online worldwide

Following the large number of units recently shipped out, several new units went online in various corners of the World: 41000005, in Belt, Montana, US 11000015, in Helsinki, Finland 11000017, in Paris, France 11000018, in La Breille les Pins, France As these new devices reached their destination and were connected to the Internet, all 4 […]

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A new detector in Central Germany

As the units presented in the previous post slowly reach their destination, here is unit 11000019 that just went online in Central Germany, close to Neu-Eichenberg: This is the third uRADMonitor detector running on German soil.

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Multiple new units joining the network

Some of you might have noticed the high number of units that recently appeared on the map around Timisoara. They are part of a new batch of units with some of them already in transit to locations all across the Globe. The units were tested and calibrated manually, to make sure they will function perfectly. […]

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Brisbane, Australia joining the network

Unit 12000011 just joined the network from Brisbane, Australia, as the third unit on this continent. The measurements show relatively low radiation levels: And here is a comparison to initial tests done in Timisoara: If you haven’t already, you can vote for this project’s entry in the HackADay Prize competition by giving it a Skull […]

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uRADMonitor Model A Video

With the approaching HackADay prize stage 3 competition, a new uRADMonitor Video has been added according to the competition’s rules. The uRADMonitor is a digital radiation dosimeter, enclosed in a rugged aluminium case. Designed to function as nodes, in a distributed network of radiation monitors,the uRADMonitor units are working together to achieve environmental radiation surveillance […]

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Featured on HackAday as Semifinalist

uRADMonitor has been featured on Hackaday in a new article. As one of the Hackaday Prize semifinalists, the uRADMonitor project sits in the spotlight, waiting for the next stage of the competition. We promise to press on toward the goal of winning the prize.

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New unit in Arizona

The 10th unit in the US is now online from Prescott, Arizona. The average measured radiation level is currently at 0.11uSv/h: Very similar to initial measurements in Timisoara:

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Model A – Production Ready!

The uRADMonitor Project is a network of radiation detectors covering locations all over the Globe. The Model A is the first designed, it is an automated GM detector in a rugged aluminium housing which responds predominantly although not exclusively to gamma radiation. Count rate data is recorded and transmitted continuously via built in Ethernet adapter […]

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A new unit in Melbourne, Australia

The second uRADMonitor unit in Australia went online today. This is one of the limited 5 model A2 units announced some time ago. It currently shows an average of 0.16uSv/h : The readings are higher than those measured during the initial tests in Timisoara:

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A new uRADMonitor unit in the USA

This new unit is the second in the New York area or the 9th in the entire US. The 41000001 is one of the newer A2 Models with barometric pressure sensor. Taking advantage of the recent server side changes, all the unit’s measurements are available in the new compact web interface. The unit currently shows […]

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Observations on diurnal indoor variations in gamma ray count rates

Richard Prettyman, August 2014 Background A close correlation between gamma count rate at ground level, and soil derived Rn-222 flux has been demonstrated in work which has also studied the effects of meteorological and diurnal factors on Rn out-gassing and hence gamma count rate (Szegvary et al, 2007). Under conditions of settled weather with no […]

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Server software improvements

The uRADMonitor project has a complex architecture, involving both hardware and software. The software level also has two separate components, one is the client firmware – the software running on the dosimeter’s microcontroller, and the other is the software running on the server. The last posts have shown a lot of progress on the hardware […]

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The second unit in Florida, USA

Just a day or two after announcing the first uRADMonitor unit in Orlando, Florida, a new unit went online, 1200000E, not far from the first. The way the unit was mounted looks highly professional, and it gets the best score so far for correctly following the installation instructions. The first measurements indicate very low radiation […]

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uRADMonitor in Florida, USA

The 7th uRADMonitor detector in the US went online recently and is transmitting from Orlando, Florida. This is one of the newer A2 revision units, that were available in limited quantity a few weeks ago. Besides radiation and temperature, this unit also monitors the barometric pressure, helping to our understanding on weather impact on background […]

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Hackaday Prize 2014 Model A Video Presentation

To comply with the requirements of the HackAday.io “send me to space” Hackaday Prize 2014 competition, we’ve made a short video as an introduction to the uRADMonitor project. The video presents only a few succinct details, but for more information you can read the additional articles on the uRADMonitor blog. And don’t forget to vote […]

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Česká Čermná

Česká Čermná is a village and municipality in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. The village is located close to the Polish border. A dedicated website is available where you can find more information on this location. The village location is covered by the excellent Geology.cz website, where we can […]

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Producing the uRADMonitor – the circuit boards

The first uRADMonitor units were built by hand as prototypes, a time consuming task involving a lot of attention that often led to results of only satisfactory quality. Very frequently it was the PCBs that simply weren’t good enough when made by hand: defects were frequent and repairing them was nearly impossible. Luckily the usual […]

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New unit in Phoenix, Arizona

The second uRADMonitor unit in Arizona just went online. Unlike the other unit to the North – that is run at higher altitude and shows increased readings, the new unit measures an average of 11.3CPM (on a SI29BG tube), approximated for the background radiation to a dose of 0.11uSv/h, not unlike what it has seen […]

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