Thermal imaging devices can be pretty expensive, but this latest Kickstarter project offers an alternative to spending a crazy amount of dough on one by turning your iPhone into a thermal imaging camera.
The guy behind the project needed to find leaks in his house but couldn’t find a thermal imaging camera under $1,500. The solution? He made his own, called the IR-Blue, which lets you see the temperature of things around you. It uses a 64 zone non-contact InfraRed sensor array to read the temperature of what you’re pointing it at. The IR-Blue connects using Bluetooth to your iPhone or Android device to show the temperature readings as colors on your screen.
The IR-Blue works with the iPhone 4S, 5, new iPads, and fifth-generation iPod touch. It has already more than reached its funding goal of $20,000 with more than $114,000 already pledged. You can make a pledge on the IR-Blue starting at $145 for a self-assembly kit or $165 for an IR-Blue fully assembled. The IR-Blue app will be available for free in the App Store and Android Store.
This is definitely a more affordable alternative to those expensive thermal imaging cameras and a great way to save energy in your house by spotting leaks. Check out the video above to really see what the Kickstarter project can do.