I can just imagine the conversation when they came up with that:
Boss: we need to transmit 1 bit of information indicating pressure loss from a spinning rotor blade to the main body of the helicopter. The blade spins too fast for electronics to work properly.
Engineer: What if we make the blades radioactive when they depressurize, then point a Geiger counter at them to detect if that happens.
Boss: ... where did you say you got your degree from?
Boss: we need to transmit 1 bit of information indicating pressure loss from a spinning rotor blade to the main body of the helicopter. The blade spins too fast for electronics to work properly.
Engineer: What if we make the blades radioactive when they depressurize, then point a Geiger counter at them to detect if that happens.
Boss: ... where did you say you got your degree from?