Softbank launched the Pantone Sharp smartphone that can detect radiation
The latest smartphone in the line of Pantone Sharp has a chip that can detect radiation in the air. It will be commercialized in Japan next summer.
After a long search for technology, the Japanese operator Softbank announced today the launch of the first smartphone incorporating a radiation detector. Part of the latest model of the famous Pantone basic line, manufactured by Sharp, it has a special chip that detects gamma rays in air at doses between 0.05 and 9.99 microsieverts per hour. It then uses its GPS circuitry to display readings on a map Scheduled to be marketed in July, this device runs on Android 4.0 and offers the standard features of smartphones, such as mobile TV, contactless payment and Bluetooth transmission.
More than a year after the earthquake 8and tsunami that severely damaged several nuclear power plants located on the northeast coast of Japan (Fukushima Daiichi, Fukushima Dain, Onagawa and Tokai), radiation remain a major concern throughout the archipelago. The phone, which goes on sale this summer, can also keep track of each location a user tests for radiation levels.
All nuclear reactors were shut down for inspections, and local communities are against their restart, despite the approach of increased demand for energy during the summer months (air conditioning).
“After the disaster, I received many tweets about different ways to detect radiation,” said Masayoshi Son, Softbank’s CEO, during a press conference in Tokyo. “That’s what made me decide to work on this type of terminal.” This smartphone is the fifth in the series Pantone, which provides models for different budgets, in a wide variety of colors. This series, which started with traditional mobile phones, has now expanded with smartphones.