Flir System X is a thermal imaging solution that aims to lower the existing barrier to thermal monitoring and enable new use cases by providing an adaptable product system.

Thermal imaging is a powerful technology that makes heat radiation visible. This makes it easy to detect temperature anomalies and patterns which is very helpful in a wide range of use cases and industries.

Current thermal monitoring solutions require a lot of infrastructure, technical knowledge, and upfront investment, which makes them virtually inaccessible. This means that only large scale industries have access to this technology, even though there are many more potential applications. The goal with this project was to create a low-cost solution that works without extensive and complex infrastructure or knowledge to bring the potential of thermal monitoring to more professions.

The result is the Flir System X, a modular ecosystem dedicated to low-cost thermal monitoring. At the center of it is the imaging core module, a standalone thermal camera equipped with all the essential functionalities to operate independently. The user can add modules to meet specific infrastructure requirements, such as data connectivity, power delivery, and mounting solutions. This way, the same imaging core can be used for a wide range of applications, resulting in a significant reduction in overall costs. Combined with the simple interface and AI assisted software setup Flir System-X is a new step in bringing the benefits of thermal monitoring to more professions.

Thermal Imaging

Thermal imaging is an incredible technology that makes temperature visible, by capturing the infrared radiation that every object emits. Each pixel in an image is a temperature measurement, which means that even at a low resolution a single image contains thousands of temperature measurements which makes it a very powerful tool to detect any kind of temperature anomalies and patterns. These can range from faulty insulation of a house, to finding overloaded electrical components, or even checking inflammations on animals. Any scenario where temperature is of interest can benefit from thermal imaging and the only limitation is cost and complexity.

Current Limitations.

Thermal cameras can be divided into two categories handheld and fixed solutions. Handheld thermal cameras come in all shapes and sizes and have evolved over the past few years to be easy to use and very affordable. This led to an explosion of new use cases and users.

Fixed thermal cameras which are used for long term monitoring have not developed in the same way. Current thermal monitoring solutions require a lot of infrastructure, technical knowledge, and upfront investment, which makes them virtually inaccessible. Fixed thermal cameras require a constant connection to a local server and power, which creates high cost and complexity regardless of the chosen thermal camera. This means that only large-scale industries have access to this technology, even though there are many more potential applications.

Opportunity

While thermal imaging technology has become much more affordable and easier to use, thermal monitoring has not seen any benefit from that development and is out of reach for most industries and professionals. This is due to high barriers of entry and complex outdated systems.

The goal with this project was to create a flexible low-cost solution that works without extensive and complex infrastructure or knowledge to bring the potential of thermal monitoring to more professions.

Flir System-X

The result is Flir System-X, a modular ecosystem dedicated to low-cost thermal monitoring. At the center of it is the imaging core, a standalone thermal camera equipped with all the essential functionalities to operate independently, it has a battery, Wi-Fi and internal storage. At the back and the bottom is a connection interface for expansion and mounting. Here the user can add modules to meet specific infrastructure requirements and expand the capabilities of the camera. For example, a battery to extend runtime, or a communication module for long range data transfer. By combining multiple modules even complex requirements can be fulfilled. This way, the same imaging core can be used for a wide range of applications, resulting in a significant reduction in overall costs.

An Ecosystem

Flir System-X is not a single product, but an entire ecosystem, the mod­ules are as important as the imaging core. Within this project I was able to develop ten modules each with a spe­cific purpose and unique design.

Some Modules are simple, like the battery, but others are more complex like the P.M.M which acts as a univer­sal power supply that can process any power source to provide electric­ity including solar. This makes it very easy to power the camera as it eliminates the need for multiple adapters, which can be very complicated.

Each module is designed to expand the capabilities as much as possible while staying simple and efficient. These ten modules only represent the start of a much larger system, but they already enable a wide range of use cases, many that were previously not possible.

User Interface

Just like the hardware, the software plays an important role in making this product accessible. This is done through the smartphone; it simply connects to the camera via Wi-Fi and then shows a live view and current device status. To configure the camera the user either selects one of three simple offline modes or describes their scenario and the app will create a specific algorithm for their use case.

This is done by using AI to automatically create a custom algorithm that is continuously optimized. By utilizing AI in the process, we drastically reduce the required technical knowledge and make it possible for anybody to utilize the system for their specific use case. Previously this process would have been extremely costly and out of reach for most users.

Potential Applications

With the low barrier of entry both on a cost and knowledge level Flir System-X can be utilized by many professions as an additional tool to make work more efficient and easier. During development a specific use case was not targeted but instead the goal was a flexible system that covers a wide range of use cases, even ones that have been unexplored so far. While the Imaging core can be customized it includes all the basic functionality to work on its own, which makes it a very affordable option for basic research and monitoring.

One potential application is the monitoring of a cattle birthing barn. Thermal imaging is a good way to detect the birth as the animal has elevated body temperatures during the process and it can see movement without any additional light. The trained AI can detect this and notify the farmer early in the process. Thermal imaging is already used for monitoring general cattle health, but the complexity of current systems is limiting the widespread adoption. With Flir System-X the farmer can simply create a combination that fits their specific needs in terms of connectivity and power delivery and set it up themselves without the need for any professionals.

Flir System-X can be used for off-grid monitoring without the need for any infrastructure, which is currently not possible without expensive and large amounts of equipment. By reducing cost and complexity this could be used for fire detection, environmental monitoring, scientific research, or even to quickly expand the capabilities of existing thermal monitoring systems. To achieve this a combination of modules is used including a P.M.M, A.C.M, battery, and active ball-head. The P.M.M enables the use of solar panels to power the camera, while the battery acts as buffer storage so the system has power even at night. Meanwhile the A.C.M transfers the collected data through 4G to the server and user. As this number of modules does lead to a long stack an active ball-head is used to aim the imaging core independently of the connected modules.

Unlimited Flexibility, Unlimited Opportunities

Flir System-X expands the capabilities of thermal imaging beyond current offerings through an adaptable and accessible system. This enables new use case and users that have been previously unexplored due to the high barrier of entry. This system was envisioned to open up the powerful technology that is thermal imaging beyond the current restrictive system and make it available to everybody who can benefit from thermal imaging.