Tag Archives: thermal camera
Add IR Thermal Vision to Your Homebrew Projects
Thermal cameras are pretty nifty devices. They let you see the heat signature of objects by capturing infrared light. There are off-the shelf thermal camera devices like the ones from FLIR, but they’re kind of pricey, and not particularly friendly to hacking into your own projects. Now, you can incorporate a thermal camera into just about any device you can imagine, thanks to this breakout board from Adafruit Industries.
The Adafruit AMG8833 IR Thermal Camera Breakout provides you with a heat-vision camera that can measure temperatures from 0°C to 80°C (32°F to 176°F), with an accuracy of +- 2.5°C (4.5°F). Its 8×8 array of IR sensors isn’t exactly high resolution, but it’s enough to give you a reasonable approximation of the temperature of objects in front of its lens.
The breakout board is ready to use with any 3-volt or 5-volt microcontroller or computer, and comes with ready to use code and instructtions for use with with Arduino and other 12C compatible controllers, as well as Raspberry Pi systems running Python. The board is available now from Adafruit for just $39.95 (USD).
I so want to build a set of heat-vision goggles with a pair of these things.
HemaVision Smart Thermal Imager Actually Tells You What that Cool (or Hot) Image Means
Last year, HemaImaging made thermal vision accessible by creating an affordable smartphone add-on for both iOS and Android devices. But the company wanted something that’s more versatile and even more useful, so it’s working on the HemaVision, a standalone thermal imager that will be able to give you measurements in real-time and tell you if that’s within normal parameters.
The HemaVision has an 82×62 thermal sensor, a 5MP CMOS sensor, a 320×240 touchscreen, an SD card slot, a Wi-Fi chip and a battery that lasts up to 4h per charge. The company is working with industry experts to create apps for specific instances. The mockups below show three sample apps: one for monitoring heat-related problems in electrical equipment, one that looks for hidden pockets of water and one that looks at insulation problems.
Thanks to its Wi-Fi connectivity, you’ll be able to stream live feed from the HemaVision to a mobile device, so you can mount it to a quadcopter for instance and check out places that will otherwise be out of reach. You’ll also be able to upload images straight to your Dropbox account or HemaImaging’s upcoming cloud service.
My only concern about this device is that we don’t know just how easy to understand it will be. Based on HemaImaging’s presentation, I’d err on the side of caution and say that in its current state the HemaVision is more for professionals than for ordinary folks. Pledge at least $270 (USD) on Kickstarter to receive a HemaVision thermal imager as a reward.
Hema-Imager Thermal Imager Takes its Talents to Android & iOS Devices
Last month saw the release of the Flir One, a thermal camera for the iPhone 5/5S. While it’s significantly more affordable than its standalone counterparts, its limited compatibility hampers its cost-effectiveness. If you’re looking for a more versatile alternative, check out the Hema-Imager.
The Hema-Imager (short for Heat Map Imager) works with most Android and iOS devices. It has a temperature range of -4ºF to 450ºF, over twice the range of the Flir One. Unlike the Flir One, which takes the form of an iPhone case, the Hema-Imager can also connect to mobile devices wirelessly, up to about 66ft via Bluetooth and up to almost 330ft over Wi-Fi.
Using its complementary app, you’ll be able to save thermal photos or videos, adjust colormaps and more. The Hema-Imager lasts up to eight hours of continuous usage on a single charge and can be left in a low power mode for up to a month.
Despite being more versatile and capable, the Hema-Imager can be yours for $100 (USD) less than the Flir One. Pledge at least $250 on Kickstarter to get the device as a reward.
Flir One iPhone Thermal Camera Released
Thermal cameras can be used for all sorts of things from monitoring body temperature for coaches to finding thermal leaks in your home. The catch is that most thermal cameras cost $1000 or more. During CES 2014 this past January, Flir, a leader in thermal cameras, unveiled a cheaper thermal camera accessory for the iPhone that looks very slick.
The accessory is called the Flir One and it will fit the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S. The camera sells for $349(USD) and is available starting today. At that price, it is much cheaper than the next cheapest thermal camera in the Flir range priced at around $1000.
Flir says that a version of this camera accessory for Android users is coming next year. A version of the accessory for iPhone 6 models can also be produced quickly according to the company.
You can check out an interactive simulation of the Flir One in action here.
[via WSJ]