L-3 announces new thermal imaging camera for rescuers

Recent incidents involving stranded snowclimbers force us to recall how reliant these intrepid adventurers are on emergency rescue personnel. In a recent article we reported on a new unmanned helicopter that will soon be deployed to Nepal for that very purpose, but in most cases real live human beings have to trudge through the wilderness looking for lost and injured climbers, and in order to do their job effectively they must be able to see where they are going. That is where the new Thermal-Eye 5000xp thermal imaging camera from L-3 Communications comes in. “The unseen world, whether hidden in darkness, blurred by smoke or cloaked in rain, can be a dangerous place, but every night, police officers, firefighters and rescue personnel enter that unseen world to protect us from what’s lurking there,” said L-3’s Mike Studer.

Building on the company’s preexisting Thermal-Eye 4000 series, the 5000xp uses L-3’s barium strontium titanate thermal imaging technology to provide a clear 320 by 240-pixel image — a 400 percent increase in pixels over the previous model (from 19,200 pixels to 76,800 pixels) — with twice the field-of-view. “Whether you’re monitoring the perimeter of a nuclear power plant, patrolling the streets of a city or out on a boat in darkness or harsh weather, you need to be able to see clearly, at long distances and in any environment, in order to decide on your best course of action in dangerous situations,” said Studer said. The Thermal-Eye 5000xp is intended for use by law enforcement, search and rescue teams (especially in heavy snowstorms), and is weather resistant for maritime use. It can also be used for static perimeter security and features a joystick-controlled 360 degree continuous pan, a wide tilt range and a video-out for remote monitoring or VCR.

-read more in this company news release