Infrared vision

The human body, as well as many moving or static objects of military or civil interest, are normally warmer than the surrounding environment.

The former technology uses a photocathode to convert light (in the visible or near infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum) to electrons, amplify the signal and transform it back to photons.

The entire electromagnetic spectrum highlighting the infrared part located between the visible and the radio waves, is depicted in the figure.

For years, it developed slowly due to the high cost of the equipment and the low quality of available images.

Since the development of the first commercial infrared cameras in the second half of the 1960s, however, the availability of new generations of infrared cameras coupled with growing computer power is providing new civilian (and military) applications, to name only a few:[11] buildings and infrastructure,[12] works of art,[13] aerospace components[14] and processes, maintenance,[15] defect detection and characterization, law enforcement, surveillance and public services, medical and veterinary thermal imaging.