DJI M600 ProHelps Identify Radiation Hotspots at Chernobyl

一种team of researchers have used a range of drones, including aDJI M600 Prosupplied byHeliguy，要完成对切尔诺贝利红森林的最全面调查，这是地球上最放射性的地点之一。

国家核机器人技术中心（NCNR）的科学家飞行了一系列多旋翼和固定翼飞机，创建了3D地图，不仅提供了有关污染最大的网站的最新信息，而且还揭示未发现的辐射热点。

红森林距离切尔诺贝利核复合体仅500米。它受到1986年爆炸和植物4号反应堆火灾的立即影响。某些区域仍然严格脱离人类的范围，因此使用无人机使科学家可以从安全的距离进行调查危险的地方。无人机还帮助团队迅速覆盖了大型地区。

Drones Used For Mapping Surveys

Several DJI drones were used for the project and the research team turned to theaward-winning Heliguy购买M600 Pro; flown for the majority of the survey missions. The M600 Pro carried a scanning Lidar pod and a radiation sensor; and was flown in a grid pattern to systematically map areas of interest.

一种DJI Mavic Proand幻影were used to recce the areas to check for tree heights and obstructions before sending the larger and much more expensive sensors in. Fixed-wing drones with radiation sensors were also part of the fleet.

Dr Kieran Wood, part of the Chernobyl research team from the University of Bristol, said “We purchased the M600 and supporting accessories from Heliguy who were great – providing a competitive quote, good customer service and sourcing extra items not already listed online.”

The Project in More Detail

The two-week expedition, which took place in the spring, was the first of several survey missions NCNR will undertake in Ukraine over the coming 12 months. The team was led by Professor Tom Scott, from the University of Bristol’s School of Physics and member of the NCNR.

去年，切尔诺贝利排除区吸引了70,000名游客，国家当局急需准确的辐射图来更新安全协议，以告知未来的旅游活动和计划的新太阳能农场。

Working alongside colleagues from Ukraine’s SSE Eco Centre – the body responsible for gathering survey and research data within the 2600km2 Exclusion Zone around the failed reactor – the NCNR team flew 50 sorties over 10 days, spending a total of 24 hours in the air to map an area of 15km2.

Starting at the lowest risk site first, the village of Buriakivka, located 13km from the accident epicentre, researchers moved on to the partially-demolished settlement of Kopachi before tackling the Red Forest.

In a world first, fixed-wing aircraft were used to quickly map the radiation over larger areas, flying at a height of 45-60 metres at a speed of 40mph (65km/h).

然后将M600 Pro用于对关键区域进行更详细的研究，因为其网格调查能够为辐射分布提供比固定翼更高的空间分辨率。这架飞机由斯科特教授团队和布里斯托尔大学旋转Imitec Ltd.共同开发的独特传感器系统。

Because the UAVs were able to fly lower and slower than a manned survey aircraft ever could, and without risk to life, the NCNR team was able to create the most comprehensive radiation map yet of the Red Forest.

该团队的调查还指出了科帕奇重大污染的意外区域。Registering a dose-rate of greater than 1 millisievert per hour (the maximum permissible dose not requiring an individual’s classification as a Radiation Worker in the UK is 6 mSv per year), the area is believed to contain material from the original emergency clean-up activities performed over three decades ago.

Dr Wood said “Detecting the hotpots was a good demonstration of what can be achieved with drones rather than manned aerial surveys, or ground surveys. The result is a proof of concept that will allow authorities to decide if they wish to perform a more extensive survey. The results have been passed back to the local research institute in Ukraine and are also being processed into academic publications by PhD students at the University of Bristol.”

Professor Scott said “We have successfully demonstrated that the UK now has the capability to monitor radioactive sites and respond to nuclear incidents without exposing humans to risk – a guiding aim of NCNR. We can fly into a contaminated area from a safe zone, perhaps 10km away from the incident site, and gather detailed information – streaming it live during the flight before returning safely to base.”

While Chernobyl is a key part of the team’s research, scientists are using drones for numerous other projects, including:

• Gas plume surveys of volcanoes;
• 使用人工智能为无人机计划的最佳路径计划；
• 改善海上风力涡轮检查；
• 发展中国家的矿产勘探；
• 检测和跟踪标记的野生动物。

Professor Scott added “The same technology has applications in other sectors too. For example, it could be used to identify rare earths, gold or copper mineral deposits, quickly, cheaply and non-invasively. This could be especially useful for developing nations keen to assess the extent and value of mineral resources ahead of, say, signing away mining rights.”

仔细观察M600 Pro

无人机是一款精致的无人机，非常适合专业航空任务。它的一些主要特征是：

• M600 Pro通过改进的飞行性能和更好的负载能力继承了M600的所有内容；
• Pre-installed arms and antennas reduce the time required for set-up, and the system’s modular design makes it easy to mount additional modules;
• The airframe is equipped with the latest DJI technologies, including the A3 Pro flight controller, Lightbridge 2 HD transmission system, Intelligent Batteries and Battery Management system;
• Several Zenmuse cameras and gimbals are natively compatible and is capable of full integration with third-party software and hardware.

如前所述，DJI M600 Pro是切尔诺贝利调查工作中的关键工具。

The article was written by Heliguy.