European System for Improved Radiological Hazard Detection and Identification

Project Information

EU-RADION

Grant agreement ID: 883204

DOI

10.3030/883204

Project closed

EC signature date 30 April 2020

Start date 1 September 2020

End date 29 February 2024

Funded under

• Secure societies - Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens

Total cost

€ 3 490 626,35

EU contribution

€ 3 490 626,25

Coordinated by

ITTI SP ZOO
Poland

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EU-RADION (European System for Improved Radiological Hazard Detection and Identification)

Reporting period: 2022-03-01 to 2024-02-29

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The EU-RADION project was conceived to enhance the European Union's preparedness and response capabilities to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats. This initiative was driven by the escalating terrorist activities within the EU, specifically the rising use of CBRNe by terrorist groups. The project aimed to address the critical need for rapid detection and identification of radiological and nuclear materials, a gap identified in significant studies such as ENCIRCLE and IFAFRI.

The EU-RADION project puts forward the four following objectives:
• High-level objective 1 - To cover selected capability gaps of European first responders and CBRNe practitioners indicated in the ENCIRCLE catalog and IFAFRI study by the development of relevant technologies,
• High-level objective 2 - To enhance situational awareness of first responders/CBRNe practitioners during preparedness and response missions,
• High-level objective 3 - To boost European CBRNe market innovativeness and support its competitiveness,
• High-level objective 4 - To showcase the operational EU-RADION solution to first responders, CBRNe practitioners, and European stakeholders in relevant conditions.

The EU-RADION project developed a system for real-time detection and identification of radiological and nuclear materials, integrating advanced sensor technologies and data processing into a networked solution that boosts situational awareness. The project achieved its high-level objectives, showcasing a modular Sensor Integration Unit (SIU) deployable across various platforms, a swarm of UGVs with autonomous capabilities, and the Tactical Command Tool (TCT) for operational coordination. This initiative enhances EU citizens' safety, aiding in CBRN threat response and reducing health impacts and casualties. By advancing the EU's CBRN security framework, EU-RADION contributes significantly to the region's safety, demonstrating the system's ability to deliver real-time threat assessments and situational awareness, fulfilling the project's goals and benefiting societal well-being.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The EU-RADION project aimed to enhance the EU's CBRN response capabilities by developing an integrated system with advanced sensor technologies for first responders. Key achievements include a Sensor Integration Unit (SIU) for various platforms, a UGV swarm, and the Tactical Command Tool (TCT) for situational awareness. The project underwent extensive testing to ensure reliability and showcased its results through demonstrations, publications, and online platforms, emphasizing stakeholder engagement for future adoption. These efforts mark a significant step in strengthening the EU's CBRN mitigation and response, showcasing the project's impact on enhancing preparedness and operational effectiveness in addressing CBRN threats.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The EU-RADION project represents a significant leap beyond the current state of the art in CBRNe detection and response. Its innovative approach combines advanced sensor technologies, data fusion algorithms, and system integration to provide a comprehensive and sophisticated solution. Key advancements include:

1. Heterogeneous Sensor Integration: By integrating sensors like Geiger counters, CZT semiconductor detectors, and hydrogen detectors into a single Sensor Integration Unit (SIU), EU-RADION combines various detection technologies to mitigate their individual limitations. This fusion results in a comprehensive data set for more accurate analysis and response, ensuring that weaknesses of one technology are compensated by the strengths of others.

2. Advanced Dispersion Modeling: The project enhances dispersion modeling capabilities to handle complex geometries and particle characteristics, advancing beyond standard models. By employing sophisticated techniques like adjoint dispersion models and new parameter selection methods, EU-RADION aims to improve source estimation accuracy significantly.

3. Innovative UGV Swarm Operation: EU-RADION's swarm of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) introduces a novel operational paradigm. While one UGV is manually operated, the rest autonomously adjust their positions based on sensor data and situational awareness, optimizing field deployment. This hybrid model leverages both human expertise and autonomous efficiency.

4. Enhanced Navigation/Positioning: The development of a versatile navigation component using GPS/GNSS and 10-DoF sensors, along with error reduction algorithms like Extended Kalman Filters, aims to improve positioning accuracy across all sensor platforms. This advancement supports precise asset deployment and data collection.

5. Integrated System-of-Systems: EU-RADION is developing an integrated system-of-systems architecture, centralizing control and data visualization through the Tactical Command Tool. This tool will provide a comprehensive operational picture, including asset tracking, data visualization, hazard prediction, and alarm management, enhancing command and control capabilities.

Potential Impacts
• Socio-Economic Impact: EU-RADION's advancements promise significant socio-economic benefits. By improving CBRNe detection and response, the project can reduce the potential economic fallout from CBRNe incidents, safeguard public health, and enhance the resilience of European societies to such threats.
• Wider Societal Implications: The project stands to bolster public confidence in the EU's capability to handle CBRNe threats, contributing to a sense of security among European citizens. By enhancing first responders' capabilities, EU-RADION also supports the safety and effectiveness of these crucial personnel, potentially saving lives and minimizing the impact of CBRNe incidents.
• Future Exploitation: The technologies and methodologies developed in EU-RADION have broad application potential, extending beyond CBRNe response to areas like industrial monitoring, environmental surveillance, and emergency management, indicating a wide range of future exploitation avenues.
• Knowledge Advancement: By pushing the boundaries of current technologies and methodologies, EU-RADION contributes to the body of knowledge in CBRNe detection and response, inspiring future research and innovation in the field.

In conclusion, EU-RADION is set to deliver groundbreaking results by the project's end, positioning the EU at the forefront of CBRNe detection and response while providing substantial socio-economic benefits and enhancing societal safety and security.

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