Projects:2020s1-2431 Applications of Infrared Cameras

Introduction

It is now possible to buy an ultra small infraredcamera that operates as room temperature, costs only $300 and plugs into an iPhone!This is is a real game changer to have such power at your fingers tips in a mobile fashion. Consequently it opens up new applications that people never thought of.We find these camera are so good that you can see the heat from people's footsteps on the ground as they walk!I this project we want you to simply play with the camera and come up with new ideas and test them.Some ideas to get you going are:

a) Explore the idea of finding traces of human presence such hot footsteps on the ground. How long do they remain for? What surfaces work best?

b) Explore if heat is left on a keyboard when you type. Can it be used to steal someone's password?

c) Explore if it can be used to detect overheating of items behind walls in a building.

d) Explore if it can be used in debugging a circuit board.

e) Check out a microwave oven with one.

f) See the different heat levels of a mobile phone when it is inactive, versus receiving a call.
g) And so on......make up your own ideas.

This will be fun!

Project team

Project students

• Minh Khai Ong
• Xin Kye Kew

Supervisors

• Professor Derek Abbott

Objectives

Our expectation is you investigate each idea in a structured, scientific and quantitative manner.

Background

Why use Thermal Imaging?

-Non-contact

-Various of Application!

-Almost real-time

New technologies advances in recent years:

-FLIR MSX® (Multi Spectral Dynamic Imaging)[1]

-SLS (Type II Strained Layer Superlattice)[2]

References

[1] "What is MSX®?", flir.com.au, June 24th 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.flir.com.au/discover/professional-tools/what-is-msx/.

[2] M. Z. Tidrow, “Type II strained layer superlattice: A potential future IR solution,” Infrared Physics & Technology, 09-Jun-2009. [Online]. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1350449509000620.