2013
BABYSCAN
開発過程では実物大のモックアップを製作し、3歳から10歳の幼児に内部に滞在してもらう実験が繰り返された。 半数以上の児童が耐えられず、泣き出してしまう子も見られる中で、山中らはうつぶせの姿勢で絵本やタブレットを与えておくと長い時間滞在できることを発見した。これによりうつぶせ寝を前提とした設計がスタートした。外装は穏やかな印象の滑らかな曲面で覆われ、児童に落ち着きもたらすとされるグリーン-青系の配色が採用された。製造に使用される全ての材料は、組み立て前にゲルマニウム検出器を用いて自然放射線が測定に影響を与えないことが確認された。多様な年齢、体型の幼児に対応してディテクターとの距離を調整できるクッションシステムもデザインされている。
2015年までに福島の3病院に導入されたBabyscanによる約2700名の乳幼児の検査の結果、全員から放射性セシウムは検出されなかった。これにより、乳幼児の慢性的な内部被ばくの影響は無視できるほど小さいことが明らかになり、福島の人々に大きな安心感を与える結果となった。
素材: FRP、スチール、布、検出装置本体
寸法: 1830 x 1290 x 1190mm
プロジェクト開始: 2013年3月 / 完了: 2013年12月
ディレクション: 早野龍五
デザイン: 山中俊治+takram
外装制作: 日南株式会社
製造: キャンベラ社
BABYSCAN, conceived by Professor Ryugo Hayano of the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Science in February 2013, is a specialized internal radiation measurement device developed for infants and young children to assess their internal exposure post the Fukushima nuclear disaster. In conventional whole-body counters, subjects stand in a roughly 10-centimeter-thick iron box for two minutes to measure while shielding external environmental radiation. Originally designed for nuclear facility workers, this method isn't suitable for infants due to their small size and rapid metabolism, making it challenging to detect residual radioactive substances within their bodies. To address this, a larger, more shielded iron box was designed, allowing infants to lie down for an extended four-minute measurement period. The project aimed to create an environment within the robust 5-ton iron box where children could comfortably sleep for four minutes.
During the development process, a full-scale mock-up was created, and experiments involving 3 to 10-year-old children staying inside were conducted. More than half of the children found it challenging to endure, with some crying. However, it was discovered that providing children with books or tablets while lying prone allowed for longer stays. This led to the design being based on a prone sleeping position, featuring an exterior with gentle, smooth curves and adopting a calming green-blue color scheme believed to bring a sense of tranquility to the children. All materials used in manufacturing were confirmed to have no impact on natural radioactivity measurements using a germanium detector before assembly. A cushion system was also designed to adjust the distance between the detector and children of various ages and body types.
By 2015, approximately 2,700 infants underwent examinations using the Babyscan in three hospitals in Fukushima. The results revealed no detection of radioactive cesium in any of the subjects. This finding indicated that the impact of chronic internal exposure on infants is negligible, providing significant reassurance to the people of Fukushima.
MATERIAL: FRP, Steel, Fabric, Detector unit
PROJECT STARTED: March 2013 / COMPLETED: December 2013
DIRECTOR: Ryugo Hayano
DESIGNER: Shunji Yamanaka & Hisato Ogata (Takram)
EXTERIOR PARTS PRODUCTION: Nichinan Corporation
MANUFACTURER: Canberra Industries Inc.
