Zhong He has been working toward a better way to detect nuclear radiation for most of his academic career.
The University of Michigan professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences first started working on the technology in 1997 and has developed it through the years. Today it has been spun out of the university and is the principal product of H3D. The Ann Arbor-based startup launched almost two years ago after it saw an increased demand for it from government agencies and large corporations.
"We realized the technology is ready for market," says He, CEO of
H3D.
H3D's
Polaris H technology is a handheld radiation camera that helps nuclear plant operators find potentially dangerous hot spots and leaky fuel rods faster and more precisely. It accomplishes this by laying a gamma-ray map over an image of a room, allowing it to pinpoint radiation sources.
"We have developed a very sensitive technology readout system," He says.
H3D employs a staff of five employees and two independent contractors. It began marketing the product in earnest in early 2013 and has already taken orders for it. The Polaris H radiation camera is currently being used in four nuclear plants.
"We are doing demonstrations to show people how it works," He says. "That way people will know more and more about the technology."
Source: Zhong He, CEO of H3D
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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