Thermal Imaging Cameras – Very much needed in industries.
A thermal camera, sometimes called a FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) differs from any standard camera because it forms an image using infrared radiation. This is unlike normal cameras that form images using visible light. As visible light conditions are immaterial for thermal cameras, they can work even in total darkness. This makes them well-suited for rescue operations in smoke-filled buildings or deep underground. The temperature if a thermal imaging camera can range from -20 to 1500°C/-4 to 2732°F. This type if camera includes high quality lenses and the option of focus and zoom. Most good cameras today also give you the facility to store image and sound files to a compact flash memory card. This facilitates easy review and analysis of images at a later time.
Thermal imaging cameras find wide scale use in various industries today. For instance, a power line technician can use thermal cameras to locate overheated switch gears, transformers or overhead power lines. Construction technicians can detect heat leaks, check integrity of cladding on buildings using a thermal camera. Firefighters can use thermal cameras to see through smoke, find lost persons and even localize hotspots of fire; this enhances their rescue operation capacity manifold.
Thermal imaging has served to be a boon for the medical industry. The Greek physician, Hippocrates, wrote in 400 B.C. that heat and cold of any part of the body can be felt and the diseases should be discovered. The first documented application dates back to 1956 when the technique of thermal imaging was used to screen patients with breast cancer. Physiological changes (e.g. contusions, fractures, burns, carcinomas etc.) can be easily measured using thermal cameras today. This technique has also found wide scale acceptance in differential diagnosis of various kinds of skin tumors. It is also being believed that coetaneous neurological changes associated with HIV infection can be identified using thermal imaging.
Thermal imaging video cameras also help auto manufacturers to enhance the night vision system fitted in luxury cars today. The first such car to provide this unique facility was the 2000 model of Cadillac Deville.
As a result of cut-throat competition in the field of thermal camera manufacturing, a host of companies have announced the launch of cheap (low-cost) thermal imaging cameras today, opening up this versatile technology to widespread, everyday use by non-specialists.