NEW FLIR iPHONE CASE GIVES YOU INFRARED TECHNOLOGY

FLIR iPHONE CASE

Your iPhone might be cool, but does it give you Predator-like heat vision?
Not yet, but FLIR has developed a new sensor that’s small enough to cram into a clip-on case.

In terms of added bulk, FLIR’s creation is similar to the Thuraya SatSleeve, which converts an iPhone to a satellite phone. You probably wouldn’t want to leave it on your phone all the time, but it’s still a lot more convenient than lugging around a separate thermal imaging camera.

The pocketable prototype was made possible by FLIR’s Quark module, which can capture images up to .3 megapixels. It’s a very efficient little unit, but FLIR supplies its own battery in the case so that it doesn’t drain your iPhone.

When fitted with a 9mm lens, FLIR says the Quark is sharp enough to let you spot a person from a good distance away. Just how far? About the length of three football fields.

Wondering when you’ll be able to get your hands on this bad boy? Don’t get too excited just yet. A device like what FLIR is showing off is probably going to be fairly expensive. At this point, it’s building these for military and commercial use.

Still, as the Quark imaging core gets a little more mature and cheaper to manufacture it’s possible that the company will create something for the independent contractor or geeky DIY types. FLIR could shave a few bucks off the bottom line by offering a lower-resolution model, too, so maybe this will happen sooner than we think.