# RADRON: Cooperative Localization of Ionizing Radiation Sources by MAVs with Compton Cameras

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.26018 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.26018/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 6 of its 53 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 29 Oct 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [The MRS UAV System: Pushing the Frontiers of Reproducible Research, Real-world Deployment, and Education with Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2008.08050/) (2020)
- [MRS Drone: A Modular Platform for Real-World Deployment of Aerial Multi-Robot Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.07229/) (2023)
- [Radiation Search Operations using Scene Understanding with Autonomous UAV and UGV](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.00017/) (2016)
- [Autonomous localization of multiple ionizing radiation sources using miniature single-layer Compton cameras onboard a group of micro aerial vehicles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.06693/) (2024)
- [Gamma Radiation Source Localization for Micro Aerial Vehicles with a Miniature Single-Detector Compton Event Camera](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.03356/) (2020)
- [Autonomous Reflectance Transformation Imaging by a Team of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.01162/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We present a novel approach to localizing radioactive material by cooperating Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs). Our approach utilizes a state-of-the-art single-detector Compton camera as a highly sensitive, yet miniature detector of ionizing radiation. The detector's exceptionally low weight (40 g) opens up new possibilities of radiation detection by a team of cooperating agile MAVs. We propose a new fundamental concept of fusing the Compton camera measurements to estimate the position of the radiation source in real time even from extremely sparse measurements. The data readout and processing are performed directly onboard and the results are used in a dynamic feedback to drive the motion of the vehicles. The MAVs are stabilized in a tightly cooperating swarm to maximize the information gained by the Compton cameras, rapidly locate the radiation source, and even track a moving radiation source.