October 6, 2009--FLIR Systems (Portland, OR), manufacturer of thermal imaging, infrared (IR) cameras, and night-vision systems (see "FLIR gets $7.2 million surveillance order from the Indian Air Force"), and Sofradir (Paris, France), manufacturer of advanced IR detectors for military, aerospace, and commercial applications (see "Sofradir to supply SWIR detectors for hyperspectral earth-imaging program"), announced that FLIR Systems will be collaborating with Sofradir on state-of-the-art third-generation dual-band detectors and camera cores to create thermal cameras with enhanced capabilities for military and commercial applications.

Sofradir brings its detector technology and mass-production capacities, while FLIR will design cameras and insert them into both U.S. and internationally developed systems.

This collaboration comes at a point when dual-band detectors are just beginning to become available after a long period of materials development in several countries. The applications include not only military and security imaging systems, but also thermographic and scientific cameras. This is because they provide the possibility of precise non-contact temperature measurement with automatic compensation for unknown material emissivity.

The dual-band thermal camera will operate in the midwave and longwave bandwidths, allowing users to switch spectral bands depending on the particular object to be identified or surveyed. The longwave bandwidth can optimize detection at cooler temperatures, and be beneficial on a battlefield, in the presence of dust, smoke or fog. The midwave bandwidth will enhance performance in high temperature and high humidity. The cameras will also provide for efficient image fusion between the two bands, as the images will be naturally registered.

For more information, go to www.flir.com.

--Posted by Gail Overton, gailo@pennwell.com; www.laserfocusworld.com.