Electronics Update

I SEE YOU!

The latest device from FLIR now puts thermal imaging right in the palm of your hand.

By Capt. Ken Kreisler

I remember the first time I ever had the opportunity to use a thermal imaging camera. It’s one of those boating moments that becomes a, ‘hey, I could get used to this!’ experience. Kind of like way back when I checked out a Loran unit—yes, shipmates, unlike some of you, I remember that technology—or switched on a GPS chartplotter.

The boat I was delivering, decked out to the electronic nines, had a FLIR night vision camera display at the helm and, while coming into a harbor I had never visited, dead of night, no moon, I decided to have a look. Eureka! There they were; boats at anchor, buoys, channel markers, all clearly visible and giving me a safe, slow bell path to the town dock.

With a complete line of sophisticated thermal imaging systems including the hand-held personal First Mate II and BHM Series, the MD, M, Voyager, and the top-of-the-line MU Series, FLIR now has something for those of you with iPhone5 and 5S smartphones: FLIR ONE™

Using special sensor technology that was originally developed for military night vision, FLIR ONE converts heat, which is emitted from every object on earth, into color images. These color images allow users to not only see in the dark, but to also observe differences in temperature of fractions of a degree. FLIR ONE’s powerful capacity to augment human vision opens up a new world of possibilities for consumers.

The device fits on the phone case and displays live thermal imaging in both stills and video right on the phone’s screen. FLIR ONE comes with the MX APP™, free from the Apple APP Store, and provides a variety of functions that, according to the company, make it easy to collect and share compelling and useful thermal images. It can load captured images directly to the camera roll and allows users to easily share on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media channels, among many other features. FLIR ONE also houses its own battery source that can power the device for more than two hours of continuous use. It can also be configured to boost iPhone5 and 5s battery life by up to 50 percent. FLIR ONE will be available for selected Android models later this year.

For more information about this exciting new FLIR product, or any of the other fine electronics in the thermal imaging line up, visit the company Website at http://www.flir.com