When Boston police found bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hiding inside a boat parked in a backyard in Watertown, Massachusetts, they didn't actually see him. They found his heat using a thermal imaging system known as FLIR (forward-looking infrared device).
Now that same law enforcement and military intelligence technology has been shrunk down to smartphone size.
Unveiled at CES earlier this year, the device's sole job is to detect invisible heat. It combines the heat signature information with the live camera image from your phone to deliver a composite thermal heat image. FLIR Systems says FLIR One is useful for detecting ventilation leaks around doors and windows, car engine trouble, over-heating circuitry and wiring and even allowing you to see when there is no light. No more stumbling around the pitch-black campground, hoping not to step on a raccoon.
Thermal imaging works by gathering infrared light coming off objects (invisible to the human eye). Infrared detectors in the device read the light and turn it into a thermogram. That information is converted into electrical impulses, which are then translated by a chip for display. The various heat levels are displayed as an array of colors, ranging from blue for low levels of heat, to bright red and white for hotter elements. Without the iPhone, you might only see that heat map; with it, you see a sort negative image of the actual object or person in front of the device.
FLIR Systems even envisions users sharing thermal images on social media using one of the company's three apps. FLIR One TimeLapse (show heat changes over time), FLIR One Paint and FLIR One Panorama. We can't wait to see the first set of Thermal selfies.
FLIR One runs off its own internal battery and, according to the company, can thermal scan for up to 2 hours. Thermal imaging doesn't come cheap. FLIR One lists for $349 and will ship to those who pre-order sometime in August.
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