Posted on 09/02/2015 8:54:15 AM PDT by Dr. Prepper
Heat-vision cameras have been used widely in many industries for decades: Soldiers find targets through heat-vision rifle sights, police mount them on helicopters to search for people on the ground and contractors use the sensors to look for cold air seeping into homes. Now you can buy a simple smartphone attachment to reveal the widely varying temperatures of the people and things around you.
Maybe you’re not up for hunting Arnold Schwarzenegger, like the heat-seeing alien hunter in the classic 1987 film “Predator.” There are many practical home uses for the latest thermal camera accessories from Flir and Seek, too: finding your missing cat hiding in the dark under the porch, diagnosing a blocked pipe in your bathroom or seeing how much propane is left in your gas grill’s tank. These cameras also allow you to peer into a previously invisible thermal landscape, revealing surprising views of the world around you.
Much like any super power, there are limitations to this extrasensory ability. Glass is good at letting through visible light, but filters out the kind of infrared radiation we know as heat. What makes them good for windows makes them nearly opaque to heat-sensing cameras. These thermal cameras will show the temperature of the glass surface, but if someone is standing just behind the window (and not touching it), that person will remain largely invisible—though you may see your heat reflected in the glass back at you. In fact, thermal cameras’ lenses aren’t made from regular glass, but require special materials such as germanium, which allow this range of infrared light to pass.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Thank you for the word on that - It’s best that we all have more optic options as it were..
The guy says he doesn’t see anything in his dreams. I thought that perhaps the brain on its own might create internal images of some sort.
Your Nikon is seeing IR up to (maybe) 1.5 micron. Probably not that far, though.
Thermal is IR in the range of 8 to 12 microns.
BFL
I have looked at those Torrey Pines sights. They use a high quality, but very low pixel count sensor: 80x60 pixels; 25 degree or 50 degree field of view. Don’t expect to be able to identify a target beyond 20-30 meters with it.
I can see mounting one as a secondary sight on a carbine.
I know. The paint thing surprised me though.
It’s nowhere near night vision. Getting to the level of what the article is referencing is far above my allowance :o)
Not if it is not receiving that kind of input. Without input we die. Not touched especially.
I actually got it to help with aligning CO2 lasers. The beam is not visible, but heats up anything that it touches, and the camera can spot it.
I also have used it to look at circuit boards to see which components get hot.
Aside from work activities, I like it at home for measuring temperatures of things like engine parts. During a random walk around the kitchen I found that our toaster is producing quite a lot of heat just being plugged in. Don’t know why, but now we unplug it between uses.
It’s also an educational tool for my home school kids as we can see where the dog has been lying, etc.
I have a water leak in my ceiling. Once the rain starts I expect that this will help me to find the source. It does a super job at locating anything wet.
Took it camping last month and was able to find my tent in complete darkness with no flashlight.
It seems like this is the way to go instead of traditional night vision. What model do you have?
Thanks, much for your replies. This heat sensing technology is fascinating.
It’s very good at picking up leaks, missing insulation and overheating electrical components.
Good to know....and, good to have. Thanks ;-)
FLIR One. It clips right on the iPhone.
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