Microsoft Programmer Builds Twitter-Enabled Geiger Counter With Netduino Plus


Combining a Netduino Plus and a Geiger counter kit, a technical program manager at Microsoft named Fabien Royer created a tweeting radiation level monitor. Royer claims that his experience in France during the 1986 Chernobyl disaster has made him a bit tense when it comes to matters of radiation poisoning and government transparency. According to Royer, the French government downplayed the disaster, and after the Fukushima Nuclear disaster earlier this year, Royer feared that the U.S. government may try to distribute the same kind of misinformation.

On that note, Royer decided to build his own Geiger counter by coupling a bare-bones radiation kit to a Netduino Plus. Royer goes into great detail describing the process of building his new tweeting Geiger counter, but to be honest, I think I might need the Cliff’s Notes to fully understand the technicalities of it all. The good news is that Royer reported that the data from his Geiger counter was consistent with that of the EPA’s air monitoring stations in the Washington area.

If you enjoy tinkering with gadgetry, or if you join Royer in having a healthy distrust of the powers that be, then check out Royer’s blog, Fabien’s Bit Bucket, to learn how to do it yourself.