Heat-seeking smartphones see in the dark - Business - The Boston Globe

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"Both of these cameras work well, but neither comes cheap. And who needs them? More of us than you might think. Hunters can use them to find game, plumbers to find leaks, electricians to identify wires that are overheating, homeowners to spot energy leaks around windows and doors.

FLIR, the granddaddy of thermal imaging companies, started building products for the military and police agencies in the 1970s. Early models cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and had to be chilled with supercold liquid nitrogen. But in the 1990s, FLIR found a way to build thermal cameras that did not need artificial cooling. Today, they’re small enough to attach to a smartphone."

Heat-seeking smartphones see in the dark - Business - The Boston Globe