AR ZONE
INSIDE AN INFRARED CAMERA
These devices detect thermal energy and turn it into an image we can see
WORDS SCOTT DUTFIELD
DID YOU KNOW? Infrared radiation can penetrate up to five millimetres into the skin
Thermal-imaging cameras are unlike the camera found on your smartphone. A typical camera observes wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum that bounce off objects and hit receivers in the camera. The camera will then turn that light into an image. Thermal cameras, on the other hand, ignore visible light and seek out other wavelengths, called infrared. Infrared is a type of low-frequencyelectromagnetic radiation that’s felt as heat. This is because infrared radiation excites molecules, causing them to move around and vibrate, which causes a temperature rise.