Raytheon Vision Systems developing thermal cameras for smartphones, Bigfoot's anti-military sentiment at an all time high
Good news for Bigfoot hunters like Tim Stover, but bad news for Bigfoot. According to TheVerge.com, DARPA just gave Raytheon Vision Systems $13.4 million to build thermal cameras for smartphones.
Don't get too excited though, because it's for the military only. With this extra shot of cash, DARPA expects every US soldier to have a thermal imaging camera in their back pocket soon. Like with any military technology, it often makes its way from the battlefield to civilian life after a few years, and that's something you can smile about before you go to bed tonight.
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| Tim Stover filming thermal imager with iPhone In the future, he won't have to do this |
Infrared vision is indubitably awesome, but pocket thermal cameras aren't cheap — even a device with a tiny field of view and incredibly low resolution (think 160 x 120) can cost thousands of dollars. The US military wants every soldier to have a thermal camera, though, and now it's got an idea how to get there, giving Raytheon $13.4 million to emulate the consumer cellphone industry and miniaturize IR imagers to fit in PDAs and smartphones. Mind you, these still won't be the 8-megapixel cameraphones you're used to, as DARPA's shooting for just 640 x 480 resolution to start. They'll also have a 40-degree field of view, draw less than 500mW and cost under $500 each, not much more than you'd pay for an unsubsidized smartphone these days. There's no guarantee that Raytheon will succeed, of course, but if so, we're liking the result: a phone that not only translates foreign languages on the fly, but also lets you see in the dark.
One commenter on the website mentioned this video from 1996, showing Raytheon produced NightDriver, an infrared camera and HUD which was a factory option for some automobiles. See a promo video for the technology below.
[via www.theverge.com]
Most of us have seen thermal video and in its current state it really does not add much. Those hunting at night can use it to see if Bigfoot are in the area but the pictures really do not show anything that can be taken for certain.
ReplyDeletePeople talk of thermal cameras as if they will cause a BigFoot to stop and pose guaranteeing the best possible photo. In my opinion while better to have a thermal than not- just to be safe- it is not required gear for a hunt or expedition.
The resolution sounds poor...the FLIRi7 I think is like 720p or close and a huge difference. It also has a grey scale mode that does render detail given a little ambient light. It can be rented for $425/month.
ReplyDeleteIt was harder to use in the field than I guessed, because of the small viewing screen and it depends on what time of night you use. As the forest cools it is easier to distinguish living from retained heat sources. I agree not necessary b/c it won't be "proof" in and of itself (unless a very brave researcher approaches at close range and still will fall short)but what supporting evidence and allows one to "see" w/o using flashlights, etc.!