The Many Uses of Infrared Cameras
Flir infrared cameras has found widespread adaption in recent years as its price has come down. It’s only been a relatively short time that IR cameras have been inexpensive enough and simple enough in design to appeal to a wider user base.
These days, the most inexpensive flir cameras cost only two or three thousand dollars. It’s not too surprising then that infrared cameras have become so popular for many different people and uses.
As interest in energy efficiency continues to rise, as do energy costs themselves, IR cameras are frequently used for home energy audits. In fact, most home energy auditors include an infrared camera as part of their standard tool set.
Infrared cameras are able to see the heat emitted from an object, and hence can see how heat moves through the walls of a house. During a home energy audit, users can see areas of missing insulation in a wall, leaky windows, and other gaps in the building envelop integrity.
Electrical system inspections are also a very popular use for IR cameras, and common faults that result in an increase in resistance. This greater resistance in turn creates heat, which is visible to an infrared camera. Thermography can find bad electrical components that could result in a major failure and potential fire. Infrared audits of electrical systems are often required by insurance companies.
Infrared cameras are even becoming more and more popular in human medicine, particularly in early breast cancer detection.Breast cancer detection is another area of human medicine where infrared has made significant progress. Tiny changes in blood flow can be seen in the infrared before it would ever show up on a mammogram. This method has the added benefit of being totally passive and non-invasive. The infrared camera is also much less expensive than other breast cancer detection equipment.
