Game Changers drives procurement of commercially ready Seracam® following successful Sellafield demonstration

A major step forward in nuclear decommissioning capability has been showcased at Sellafield through the Game Changers programme, where the next generation of radiation imaging technology – Seracam® – was demonstrated side-by-side with its predecessor prototype system GOVI (Gamma Optical Video Imaging). Presented to Sellafield operators, challenge owners, academic collaborators and industry partners, the event highlighted how a medical imaging innovation has evolved into a commercially deployable tool to support Post Operational Clean Out (POCO) activities. A significant outcome of this collaboration has been Sellafield's procurement of the commercially ready Seracam system, demonstrating how the Game Changers programme successfully bridges the gap between academic research, technology developers and operational deployment.

The demonstration focused on glovebox clean-out operations, one of the most complex and hazardous stages of decommissioning, where operators must identify and remove residual radioactive contamination in highly constrained environments with limited visibility.

From Medical Imaging Innovation to Nuclear Challenge Response

The origins of the GOVI project can be traced back to a Post Operational Clean Out (POCO) Game Changers challenge, where Sellafield identified the need for improved real-time visualisation of radioactive contamination during glovebox clean-out operations. POCO is a critical phase in a facility’s lifecycle, requiring precise identification and characterisation of residual radioactive material to enable safe decommissioning.

The GOVI concept was developed at Loughborough University by adapting medical imaging research from the Universities of Leicester and Nottingham to nuclear environments. Their work in combining optical imaging with gamma detection enabled a breakthrough capability: Gamma Optical Video Imaging, which overlays radiation data onto a live visual feed.

One of the challenge owners, Benedict Robinson, Technology Demonstration Advisor at Sellafield Ltd, explained the value of this approach, noting that it “provides operators on plant a good idea of what they are looking at, in real time. It gives detailed information of the levels of radiation, co-aligned with a visual image.” GOVI demonstrated that operators could see not just where contamination was located, but also its relative intensity, shape and distribution – without requiring post-processing or delayed reconstruction.

GOVI’s Success and the Emergence of Seracam

Following a highly successful initial active demonstration of the GOVI prototype at Sellafield in November 2023, the underlying principles were taken forward and significantly advanced by Serac Imaging Systems Ltd., in collaboration with Loughborough University. This development programme led to the creation of Seracam, a refined and highly adaptable imaging platform that has applications in both nuclear and medical diagnostics and image-guided surgery.

Sarah Bugby, Senior Lecturer in Physics at Loughborough University, highlighted the importance of the collaborative environment that enabled this transition, stating, “Without the Game Changers programme we would not have had access to the expertise at Sellafield to the level that we have had.”

While GOVI proved the feasibility of real-time gamma-optical imaging, Seracam has been engineered for precision performance, miniaturisation flexibility, and multi-sector deployment. It has also entered beta testing in healthcare, with over 150 patients already imaged and ongoing optimisation for clinical use.

Mark Rosser of Serac Imaging Systems emphasised the technical maturity achieved, explaining that “The optical and gamma images are always precisely aligned and accurate. Even at different distances or angles, Seracam delivers high spatial resolution and accurate alignment of the gamma and optical video without any correction or post processing. We are immensely proud of what we’ve done; it’s been a real collaborative effort.”

2026 Demonstration at Sellafield

The 2026 demonstration brought GOVI and Seracam together in a live, comparative trial focused on glovebox clean-out. Operators were not informed of the location or nature of radioactive sources distributed within the gloveboxes, allowing for an unbiased assessment of detection capability.

Both systems successfully identified and characterised multiple radiation sources in real time, with Seracam demonstrating enhanced clarity, speed of response, portability and imaging stability. The ability to maintain real-time, co-aligned optical and gamma video imagery during movement and at varying distances proved particularly valuable in simulating constrained operator conditions.

Bill Johnson, reflecting on the demonstration, noted that “The demo of the technology was very impressive to see and it was exciting to see the areas of contamination within the gloveboxes with this level of detail. Seracam will enable us to better understand our environments and by doing it in a safer way, the data we collect will better inform decommissioning.”

Benefits for Decommissioning and Wider Nuclear Applications

Seracam offers a range of operational benefits that directly address long-standing challenges in POCO and broader nuclear decommissioning. The system is portable and can be deployed handheld or mounted on an articulated arm, enabling flexible imaging in constrained environments.

Key capabilities include real-time video imaging with no reconstruction delay, simultaneous co-aligned gamma and optical data, relative activity quantification, and high spatial resolution capable of distinguishing closely located sources or resolving distributed contamination patterns. Seracam’s configurable architecture, low power draw and simple power-over-ethernet connection also allows for adaptation to robotics, remote-operated vehicles, and potential miniaturisation for tighter access constraints.

Integration Pathway and Future Deployment at Sellafield

Seracam will now go through a structured 12-month integration phase at Sellafield. This will include further testing with additional point sources, trials across selected facilities, and wider engagement with operational teams to explore deployment scenarios.

The long-term objective is clear: to transition Seracam into a ‘Business As Usual’ tool supporting decommissioning activities across the site, NDA wide and globally. Its procurement represents not only a significant milestone for Seracam, but also a tangible example of how the Game Changers programme converts operational challenges into commercially deployable solutions that benefit Sellafield and the wider nuclear industry.

Watch the Demo Video Here