01
Radiation-sensitive quantum dots
Engineered quantum dots are selected and characterised according to their fluorescence response, radiation sensitivity, stability and potential for radiation-type discrimination.
ESA Discovery · Co-funded PhD
QUASAR Quantum-Enhanced Wearable Sensing for Active Radiation Monitoring
A flexible, quantum-enabled personal dosimetry platform designed to provide astronauts with real-time, high-resolution information on radiation exposure.
Status
Implemented
ESA reference
I-2025-06895
Project duration
48 months
Tentative start
1 October 2025
Project overview
Personal radiation monitoring for missions beyond low Earth orbit
QUASAR combines radiation-responsive quantum materials,
flexible substrates and visual dose feedback within a
wearable sensor architecture.
Radiation exposure is a fundamental health risk for astronauts involved in long-duration missions beyond low Earth orbit, including lunar operations, Mars transits and future deep-space habitats.
Existing personal dosimeters are often limited in spatial resolution, responsiveness or wearability. Passive devices generally provide no real-time feedback, while active detectors may be bulky, power-intensive or unsuitable for integration into garments and spacesuits.
QUASAR addresses these limitations through a hybrid wearable platform based on engineered quantum dots whose fluorescence properties change following radiation exposure. The resulting optical response can provide intuitive colour or intensity-based information with very low power requirements.
Core technology
Three foundations of quantum-enabled wearable dosimetry
The project integrates radiation-responsive materials, photonic architectures and wearable engineering within a single modular sensing platform.
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Photonic and flexible integration
Quantum materials are incorporated into photonic crystal matrices and flexible substrates such as polyimide or PDMS to create conformal sensor patches.
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Passive and active readout
Visible changes in emission colour or intensity support immediate low-power alerts, while optical electronics can provide quantitative high-resolution diagnostics.
Operational concept
From radiation interaction to personalised visual feedback
QUASAR translates radiation-induced changes in quantum-dot fluorescence into a wearable indication of personal exposure.
Radiation exposure
Galactic cosmic rays, trapped particles, solar particle events and other radiation fields interact with engineered quantum materials embedded in the wearable sensor.
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Quantum optical response
Radiation produces measurable changes in fluorescence colour, intensity or spectral characteristics. These responses are calibrated against delivered dose and radiation conditions.
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Wearable dose indication
The sensor provides immediate visual alerts and can be coupled to optical readout electronics for high-resolution, real-time personal dosimetry.
Research objectives
Understanding, calibrating and integrating radiation-responsive quantum materials
Determine the fundamental interaction mechanisms governing radiation-induced fluorescence changes in quantum dots.
Identify quantum-dot compositions with appropriate radiation sensitivity, optical response and material stability.
Develop flexible, modular and skin-conformal sensor architectures suitable for wearable use.
Establish dose-response calibration curves and compare sensor performance with reference dosimeters.
Assess durability under radiation, thermal cycling, vacuum and mechanical loading.
Integrate the sensor into spacesuit analogues and validate performance in mission-relevant scenarios.
Research plan
Five development phases over four years
The project progresses from material selection and fundamental characterisation to prototype fabrication, environmental validation and wearable system integration.
Materials selection and optimisation
Benchmark, procure or synthesise quantum dots and characterise their optical, structural and radiation-sensitive properties.
Wearable prototype fabrication
Design and manufacture flexible sensor variants using photonic matrices, spin coating, inkjet printing or layer-by-layer assembly.
Calibration and durability
Validate dose response, repeatability and reproducibility, including testing with the ESA Co-60 irradiation facility.
System integration
Integrate sensor patches into spacesuit analogues and evaluate resolution, ergonomics and real-time alert performance.
Validation and dissemination
Consolidate project data, assess technology readiness, finalise the demonstrator and complete the doctoral thesis.
Test programme
Calibration and space-environment qualification
QUASAR includes quantitative dose-response tests together with environmental and mechanical validation under representative space conditions.
Radiation calibration
Known-dose exposure, response linearity, zero-dose baseline and comparison against calibrated reference dosimeters.
Repeatability and reproducibility
Repeated exposure of individual sensors and comparison among multiple demonstrators of the same design.
Thermal and vacuum testing
Thermal cycling from approximately −150 °C to +120 °C and vacuum exposure down to approximately 10⁻⁶ mbar.
Mechanical and ergonomic testing
Bending, vibration, garment integration and human-in-the-loop evaluation of wearability and visual alert performance.
Expected impact
Applications in spaceflight and terrestrial radiation protection
Astronaut health
Personalised and immediate exposure information during extravehicular activities, lunar operations and long-duration missions.
European technology autonomy
Advancement of quantum-enabled sensors, radiation metrology and wearable technologies for future European exploration missions.
Terrestrial applications
Potential use in medical diagnostics, radiotherapy, nuclear facilities, aviation and occupational radiation protection.
Project team
Research and supervision
QUASAR combines expertise in space systems, advanced materials, radiation physics, dosimetry and quantum-enabled sensing within ULB and ESA.
Prime contractor
ULB-CREST
Centre for Research and Engineering in Space
Technologies
Materials development, wearable integration and
space-environment testing.
Scientific supervisor
Dr Carlo Saverio Iorio
Director, ULB-CREST
Space experimentation, materials science, wearable
systems and project coordination.
Co-supervisor
Prof. Nicolas Pauly
ULB Nuclear Metrology Unit
Radiation physics, dosimetry, ion–solid interactions
and detector modelling.
Doctoral researcher
Antoine Simon
PhD researcher
Quantum materials, radiation detection, dosimetric
calibration and prototype validation.
