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Radiation Detection Wrist Watch

Posted by michael on from the steal-one-from-homesec-employees dept.

luigi writes "I4U has this story: vigiWATCH is a newly created swiss company that offers the smallest, most precise radiation detector worldwide in a normal size wrist watch. The watch displays current radioactivity rates from 0.00001mSv/h to 4.00000 mSv/h and cumulative radioactive dose from 0.001mSv/h to 9999 mSv/h. The precision is +/- 25% over total range. Besides the radioactivity detection, its also showing the time in a digital and analog display. The watch looks like a normal casual wrist watch. Hope this watch never becomes standard equipment for survival on this planet. The watch is sold on the site for $1100."

7 of 219 comments (clear)

  1. Precise? by freebase · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've not read the specs myself, but hopefully that was a typo... +/- 25% is no where near precise, especially in a dosimeter.

    --
    Sig??? I don't need no stinkin Sig!
  2. Useful for the UN Weapons Inspectors by mind21_98 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    These might be useful for the UN weapons inspectors currently in Iraq. They could keep track of radiation without alerting any Iraqi authorities and get a true feel of whether there are weapons of mass destruction (specifically nuclear weapons) around.

    --
    US businesses that currently accept chip and PIN/signature
  3. Illegal in the UK by jaylen · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I like this watch... just a damn shame that in the UK, no citizen is allowed to own anything resembling a geiger counter. The only places they are allowed are in schools or universities, or for authorities/companies with a 'good reason' to have one.

    But the average joe shmoe on the street is not allowed to own one.

    1. Re:Illegal in the UK by mmontour · · Score: 3, Interesting

      just a damn shame that in the UK, no citizen is allowed to own anything resembling a geiger counter

      Yet it seems that you folks are allowed to have nuclear-powered lights (tritium+phosphor devices) that are illegal in the US / Canada. Odd laws...

    2. Re:Illegal in the UK by notestein · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Here are some US Government produced specifications for making a geiger counter from materials found around the house.

      --

      www.bannination.com Two things float to the top he

  4. Re:Usefulness in saving your life? by deglr6328 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    not necessarily, you can withstand far higher acute doses to your extremities than you can to your whole body.

    --
    - "Hear that?! The percolations are imminent! Cease your ingress!"
  5. Workers in related fields by The+Tyro · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I can see plenty of people who work around radiation buying one of these. Light, convenient, and unobtrusive... what's not to like.

    Radiologists, Medical physicists, Nuc. Med guys, Orthopedic surgeons (who use lots of fluoroscopy).

    I don't do very much fluoro... but I have used it in the past to straighten fractured bones and place difficult catheters. Even so... I might consider one of these.

    Also, never underestimate the awesome power of "gadget lust." Even for expensive gadgets, all that's required is a wee bit of rationalization as to how it MIGHT be useful in your job.

    Could even be written off as a business expense...

    --
    Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.