We all know that there is more than what meets a naked human eye. The human eye can only view things visible under a certain light range. But the human brain has developed technology that enables him to see things beyond the naked eye. One such invention is the thermal imaging technology or thermal scanners.
The thermal scanners capture light wavelengths that are eluded by the human eye and capture them in a color-coded medium which is visible to the human eyes. It captures anything from infrared energy i.e. the heat emitted from various objects to lights of long and short wavelengths. It is believed to be used since the Korean war. But its applications have widened today. Here, we check out a few.
- Security and Surveillance
Perhaps one of the first uses of thermal scanners was for security and surveillance purposes. Even today it is used widely by all kinds of security personnel like policy border police, security forces, military, etc. Border security, tracking thieves or anti-social elements fleeing from the crime scene; search and rescue operations like in smoke rooms, fire accident scenes, perimeter surveillance, guarding areas hidden by obstructions like mountains, etc.
- Night Vision
Another important area of use for thermal scanners is for night vision. It is used by security forces on land and in water to monitor and guard. Aircraft use it under the name of ‘FLIR’ or ‘forward-looking infrared.’
- Medicine
Be it for animals or humans, thermal scanners find wide applications in the health scanners. One of its rampant use we see presently is for fever screening to prevent the spread of infection like COVID, HINI, SARS, etc. Other applications include:
- Detection of breast cancer especially at an early stage.
- Locating the source of diseases and localized conditions like thyroid, arthritis origin, etc.
- Monitoring healing processes or changes in cumulative health status.
- Various kinds of screenings like local body/full-body screening, mass screening, etc.
- Fitting horses with safer saddles, etc.
- Agriculture and Food Industry
This particular industry uses thermal scanners for several purposes like predicting water stress in the crops, planning their irrigation schedule, predicting fruit yield, detecting bruises, disease and pathogens, gauging temperature distribution during cooking, etc.
- Electrical Maintenance
It is an area where thermal scanners are fast gaining prominence. Few of its common uses include locating and pinpointing joints and parts that are vulnerable to overheating and getting damaged, spotting loose connections, blocked cooling passages as well as identifying devices that are starting to fail.
- Building Diagnostics
Thermal scanners are assuming an important role in the mechanical and building construction field as well. They can scan the entire building for more efficient monitoring of electrical, structural, and mechanical systems. Be it energy waste or any kind of moisture and electrical issues; thermal scanners can identify problems for faster corrective actions, reduced downtime, and increased work safety. They can even monitor HVAC systems, doors and windows, etc. for any thermal issues.
- Automotive Industry
Thermal scanners save significant time and effort in the automotive industry. They can easily deconstruct any part of a vehicle with their non-invasive and non-destructive approach to testing. It helps advancement in the automotive industry by increasing the efficiency of the quality checks of its motor assemblies, electrical system, and other window heating elements. It can easily detect various other defects and help eliminate them for better performance and efficiency.
- Condition Monitoring
Consultants often use a thermal scanner to scan various surface conditions and paste their pictures on the LCD screen. Using the device’s navigation feature, they are able to spot the thermal profile along with any atypical cold or hot spots. This helps them understand design parameters, temperature changes, visual observations, etc. of the machines and follow it up with the corrective actions.
- Science and Research
The accurate and precise visualizations of the heat patterns help this sector to make significant advancement and innovations. Heating, solar panels evaluation, ventilation and air conditioners, glass manufacturing, mold detection, etc. are just a few of the areas where thermal scanners prove vital.
- Volcanology
Thermal scanners have proven to be an excellent tool to detect and analyze various volcanic heat patterns. Using these devices, one can easily map and measure active lava flows, detect new cracks, etc. All this helps in more efficient volcanic warning systems that go a long way in saving lives.
Infrared Thermometers : Compared to above uses and applicaitons by thermal scanners,infrared Thermometers can also be used widely becasue of its cost,but infrared thermometers are not as durable as thermalScanner.The effectiveness and accuracy is of Infrared Thermometer Gun is not as good Thermal Scanner Systems.
Wrapping up
Not only the above-mentioned fields; the application of thermal scanners have been introduced in almost all possible fields. It finds wide use in homes, money-saving activities, fun, gas–leak detection, disease control, termite detection, hydraulic systems, welding, aircraft maintenance, outer space, etc. It’s application spans from industrial to research to health and many more.
