CES 2017: FLIR Launches World's First Thermal Imaging Action Cameras

Consumer Electronics Show is the platform where companies flaunt their new innovations and products every year. FLIR Systems Inc., a company known for its thermal imaging products unveiled its newest creation - an action camera with thermal imaging technology.

FLIR has launched two action cameras for personal and commercial drone use, namely FLIR Duo and FLIR Duo R. These cameras are equipped with FLIR's smallest and lightest thermal camera core called the Lepton and they have two cameras in one body. One is the thermal camera which has a resolution of 160x120 pixels and a colour camera with 1920x1080 (Full-HD) resolution and it allows operators to switch between the two cameras mid-flight.

Using FLIR's app, operators can also see footage from both the cameras at the same time with the inclusion of picture-in-picture mode which will save time swapping out cameras in-flight. As reported by Gizmodo, the FLIR action cameras are not water-proof unlike most of the action cameras which are available in the market. The cameras record the video to a microSD card and can output live video over analog and digital HDMI.

The two camera models are similar in operation except that FLIR Duo R features a radiometric calibrated temperature measurement and is designed for professionals doing aerial work which may require accurate temperature measurements from a long distance reports TheVerge. Both of the models are launched and FLIR Duo costs $999.99 while FLIR Duo R costs $1299.99 and they are available for purchase from the FLIR official website.

Thermal Imaging Camera

Thermal imaging cameras are heat sensitive devices that detect any differences in temperatures. The camera collects infrared radiation from objects present in the picture and creates an electronic image based on the information collected about the temperature differences of the objects in the picture. Thermal imaging, near-infrared illumination and low-light imaging are three most commonly used night vision technologies which are used in the thermal imaging devices.