Thermal camera technology has taken a leap forward with the world’s first voice controlled hands free wearable device.
Thermal camera developments by RealWear enable frontline industrial professionals to conduct inspections, enhance remote support sessions and avoid equipment downtime using simple voice commands.
The new thermal camera connects seamlessly with RealWear Navigator Series headsets, includes radiometric FLIR Lepton and is the only device that supports MSX technology.
By connecting the new RealWear thermal camera module to RealWear Navigator 500 headset with built-in voice recognition, frontline workers can capture a high-resolution visible-spectrum image or a variety of thermal and colour modes to quickly identify temperature anomalies in mission-critical industrial equipment like pumps, pipes, wiring and motors.
“The compelling option to add thermal image capture without occupying your hands in hazardous environments gives frontline professionals more real-time information to do their jobs safely and productively,” said Rama Oruganti, chief product officer at RealWear. “By combining Teledyne FLIR’s thermal expertise with RealWear’s voice-driven wearables through its Thermal by FLIR program, we’re creating a digital tool with extended capabilities for the modern frontline worker.”
“As a XR wearable evangelist for Honda, the idea of leveraging the modular design of RealWear Navigator 500 is a no-brainer,” said Greg Cooper, innovation engineer at American Honda Motor Company. “A fully hands-free thermal camera will give our technicians another superpower to get the job done fast. For example, a hands-free fully voice-controlled thermal enables us to immediately show what we’re doing to address airlocks and ventilation leaks to the reliability team to give them the confidence that our engines and systems are reliable and meet our high-quality standards.”
Imagery is viewable in real time and will in the future have the ability to be shared via Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex Expert on Demand, among others. Compatible with Teledyne FLIR’s ecosystem, the special radiometric JPEG format images can be stored, transmitted, and downloaded for use within the FLIR Thermal Studio post-processing software for greater analysis and reporting options.
“Thermal imaging is critical to assembly, effective condition monitoring and predictive maintenance programs,” said Dan Jarvis, director business development Teledyne FLIR. “RealWear Navigator 500 is the only hands-free system to currently incorporate the patented MSX technology, which overlays the live edge detail from the visible camera on the thermal image to provide critical information.”
Key use cases of RealWear Navigator with thermal include electrical, mechanical, plumbing, HVAC inspections along with initial installation readiness, process monitoring or line monitoring where a connected hands-free device adds flexibility, safety, and overall efficiency for optimum plant production such as automotive assembly line processes.
“Our long-term vision of assisted intelligence takes shape when you start connecting new captured data like thermal imaging into the cloud and beyond,” continued Oruganti. “Industrial wearables have a huge role to play going forward in industry 4.0, and we’re proud to be a part of the global movement.”
The thermal camera module is available for pre-order through authorised resellers. The new RealWear module is expected to ship in January 2023.
