New Infrared iPhone 5 Case Gives Your iPhone Heat Vision, Lets You See Behind Walls
Rejoice, gadget lovers! For the smartphone case industry is beginning to move away from bling-encrusted cheap tat and into the realms of 'useful accessory'.
By Sadho Ram — 01 Aug 2014, 06:20 PM — Updated almost 10 years ago
If you ever wanted to experience how the Predator sees the world, now's your chance. All you'll need is an iPhone and the 'FLIR ONE' case, TechCrunch reports.
The FLIR ONE case packs a full thermal imaging camera that sees variances in temperature on the infrared spectrum, and works with either the iPhone 5 or iPhone 5s, along with the FLIR ONE companion app.
techcrunch.com
The FLIR One is an iPhone 5/5s case with both an infrared camera and a VGA one that's supposed to add depth and detail to the infrared images, according to Forbes
The device works by combining the heat signature information it gets from the infrared camera with the live camera image from the iPhone. This then delivers a composite thermal heat image. The result is a negative-type image of the various heat levels in an array of different colours – bright red and white being hottest.
forbes.comWhat is it used for?
FLIR Systems explains that it will be useful for pinpointing the position of pipes in walls, finding weak spots in your home’s insulation, finding hidden animals in bushes and identifying leaks before they cause serious damage.
appleinsider.comUsers will be able to take time lapse and panoramic thermal images, whilst being able to edit and share what they’ve captured. The case has its own battery pack, which holds a two hour charge, and weighs about the same as the phone. It retails for about $350 and will be available in August.
forbes.comThermal imaging works by gathering infrared light coming off objects (invisible to the human eye), explains Mashable
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.
mashable.com
FLIR Systems even envisions users sharing thermal images on social media using one of the company's three apps
LIR 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.