‘There’s more to it than meets the eye’. How many times have you heard this phrase? If you’re familiar with the concept of thermal imaging then you’re aware there’s only so much the naked eye can see.
Visibility is impaired in certain situations for instance at night. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing happening in the invisible spectrum. Thanks to thermal imaging cameras certain important but hidden aspects are brought to “light”. And then add that to a drone. The drone thermal camera innovations can transform TIC applications.
Below we review some of the best ones. But how exactly does the technology work?
What is a Drone Thermal Imaging Camera?
You’ve heard of a thermal imaging camera but what exactly happens when you combine that with a drone? Here’s a definition that might assist:
- Drone: A drone is a technologically equipped device that can hover and fly overhead. A drone can be fitted with smart technology such as GPS navigation and infrared cameras.
- Thermal imaging camera: This is a camera that can detect objects or hotspots in dark environments which can be impossible to detect with the naked eye or a visual camera. It detects infrared radiation and temperature detection to locate an object or person. This is slightly different than night vision cameras that magnify the light; in contrast, thermal imaging cameras use infrared detection to create images.
How Does it Work?
Did you know: All objects absorb, reflect and transmit energy at different levels. While the ordinary human eye can’t pick up this energy, specialized infrared equipment can detect this energy and display it as an image.
Thermal imaging cameras see through darkness and ignore visual camouflage. Also they need no light whatsoever to produce a clear image. So how then do they produce it? They rely on emitted heat instead of light to create an image.
This is done by recording minute differences in the heat emission temperatures and translating that information into a visible image. Because they rely on thermal instead of visible contrast it means they’ll provide perfect vision even when darkness renders normal eyesight useless.
Drone Thermal Camera Uses:
Drone thermal imaging cameras are particularly useful in these instances.
Building Inspections:
By focusing this camera on the roof of a building, technicians can see where thermal insulation is faulty. Apart from detecting overheating circuits and heat leaks they can also determine how effectively a roof is insulated.
Having this information helps them fix any problematic wiring and consequently prevent power surges. End result - safer buildings.
Farm Inspections:
Thermal imaging camera sensors help farm owners manage crops, soil, fertilizing and irrigation effectively. How? The cameras use infrared wavebands to capture both visible & invisible images of crops and vegetation. Identifying the health of soil & crops with the naked eye is very limited. Drone cameras allow farmers to see further than the naked eye and gather more data by:
- Identifying pests, diseases and weeds
- Providing data on soil fertility by detecting nutrient deficiencies
- Locate livestock at night
- Count plants and determine spacing issues
Electrical Line Inspections:
Power line maintenance technicians use drone thermal camera setups to locate overheating joints & parts to eliminate potential power failures.
Safety:
Even citizens benefit from use of these cameras where safety is concerned. How? Law enforcement uses them to:
- Manage surveillance activities
- Locate and apprehend suspects
- Investigate crime scenes
- Conduct search & rescue operations
Fire Fighting:
As mentioned earlier this concept allows for improved visibility in dark or visibly impaired environments. As a result fire fighters use them to see through smoke and consequently find people in need of rescuing. Also it helps them localize hot spots of fires so they know where they need to be.
Hunting:
Ask any serious hunter and they’ll tell you many animals are mostly active at night - using darkness to remain undetected. Unfortunately they can’t hide from the drone thermal imaging camera. Why? All warm blooded animals will show up clearly in the thermal image, regardless of intensity of darkness or weather conditions.
Best Drones with Thermal Cameras
Parrot Anafi Thermal Drone
Specifications:
- FLIR Lepton thermal sensor
- 4K HDR 21MP Visual camera
- USB-C charging
- 180° and X3 Zoom tilting cameras
- 26 minutes of flight time
- Up to 4km of wifi connection
The combination of a drone, a visual camera, and a thermal camera is the height of technological indulgence. The Parrot Anafi Thermal drone brings the best of both worlds into one device and gives you control & efficiency. There’s no limit to where you can operate these drones. It can conveniently fly over areas you previously couldn’t see with the naked eye and detect any thermal presence using its infrared lens.
The ability to shoot visual photos as well as thermal images is what makes this device particularly powerful. It’s fitted with two cameras that produce high accuracy shots from the air. A 4k visual camera and a FLIR thermal camera. The thermal camera sees beyond the visible and picks up on any temperature differences.
The visual camera gives you a real-life image that allows you to see a shot as is. The combination of the two makes it easy when you need to do an in-depth analysis of an area. You have the benefit of two different views captured at the same time.
The flexibility and mobility that a thermal drone affords is unequaled. This is sophistication and intelligence packaged in one useful device & used across several industries.
Range:
There's an extended range to view objects at a fair distance. The 21MP Sony visual cam allows for great detail in your visual photos and the ability to zoom in.
Flight time:
You have 26 minutes of uninterrupted flight time. This allows you ample time to identify problematic areas and you can also switch from RGB view to thermal view. You also have the option to combine the two for deeper analysis of a scene.
Design:
The design is ultra-compact and lightweight. It weighs only 315 grams & can be easily folded away to carry with you anywhere. If a drone is too heavy it affects its gravity so the lighter the drone the better.
Zoom ability:
It allows you to zoom three times on both the visual and thermal images. The three-axis hybrid stabilization assists you in getting a stable shot every time. It has a 180° tilt gimbal that gives you clear shots from different angles.
Battery life:
The device requires three lithium polymer batteries which are included when you purchase it. The Anafi Thermal drone includes 3 batteries which allow for 26 minutes of flight time per battery.
Images storage:
It comes with a 16GB memory card that can be edited. That’s sufficient space to save multiple images to review it later.
Free flight:
The Anafi thermal drone has automatic free flight mode which is a unique feature with intuitive abilities for you to program the purpose of the flight. The Anafi thermal drone is designed to operate with the Freeflight 6 app that controls the drone and has built-in analysis included.
Warranty:
There’s a limited one-year warranty on poor workmanship and any manufacturer defects. Parrot also included a six-month warranty against any parts that are worn out during this period.