During radiation emergencies, doctors and emergency responders need a fast way to understand how much radiation a person has been exposed to. This information helps them decide who needs immediate medical care and who can safely wait. Right now, the most accurate testing methods take more than a full day and require specialized laboratory equipment. This delay makes it difficult to respond quickly during emergencies, when time is critical. This project is working to solve that problem by creating a small, portable device that can quickly estimate radiation exposure using a tiny blood sample from a finger prick. The device automatically prepares and analyzes the blood sample and measures changes in blood cells that occur after radiation exposure. Based on the results, the device provides a simple color-based result that shows whether a person has low, moderate, or high exposure. The goal is to reduce testing time from more than 24 hours to about one hour and allow testing to be done directly in emergency settings rather than only in hospitals or laboratories. This faster approach can help emergency teams make better decisions, reduce strain on hospitals, and improve patient outcomes during radiation emergencies.
