Seeing is Believing

This first mate could be a lifesaver

How can a monocular priced at $3,000 possibly be considered a bargain? You will make that judgment the moment someone goes overboard and your ability to locate and recover the MOB depends on your being able to see the person even when only his/her head  bobs above the waves. The FLIR First Mate’s true infrared imaging ability, its sensitivity to the heat radiated from a person’s body—especially from the head—can make identification and rescue possible, regardless of light conditions. Unlike light amplifiers that are most useful in darkness and are of limited or no use during daylight, the IR sensitive FLIR will display the large contrast between the relatively cool sea and a living body with surprising clarity, regardless of the ambient illumination.
The seemingly high price of the First Mate is in reality a break-through in low cost IR sensing technology. Not too long ago the IR sensing element, the bolometer, had to be artificially cooled before they could be used (initially using liquid nitrogen, later an electrically powered heat transfer device). The bolometer in the First Mate works at room temperature. “Seeing” infrared energy is accomplished using a lens made of Germanium crystal; glass lens materials will block the incoming IR energy.
The ability of the First Mate to image even very small differences in the amount of IR energy (heat) being radiated from objects is most impressive. At one point we retreated into a space where we believed there would be very little variation in the level of IR energy. As we scanned around the room we noted an image of an electrical outlet that was powering a 40-watt heated towel bar. As expected we could see the relatively warm towel bar but did not expect to see any indication of the minute amount of heat that was passing through the outlet to the device’s plug. But there was no mistaking the fact that the temperature of the plug and outlet were substantially above that of the unused adjacent outlet.
We used the First Mate to survey the boats near our slip at the marina. Everything was clearly visible even though it was a pitch-dark night. We also noted that we could “see” the location of the chain plates to which our boat’s main mast rigging is attached. The image was captured well after dark, however, the metal plates inside the hull sides remained warm enough to provide a clear contrast with the more rapidly cooling fiberglass. During previous demonstrations at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show we had noted the ability of various FLIR units to clearly show the internal rib structure behind the plating of large ships.
Although invisible to the human eye, the difference in the level of IR (heat) energy radiated from the head of a person floating in the water is vastly different from the infrared radiation from even very warm seawater. A person in the water may be more visible in IR in many daylight conditions than when using a normal binocular. The unmistakable image of a “glowing” MOB’s head at distances of some 400 meters, even when the sea is rough and in misty or light fog conditions will astound and impress. A small boat will be visible at distances out to about 4,000 feet.
The First Mate’s IR sensitivity sets it apart from light amplifier viewing devices that create images in difficult viewing conditions by converting the small amount of visible light that may be available into an accelerated flow of electrons that is then converted into a viewable image. The IR sensed image delivered by the First Mate is steady and free of the scintillation characteristic of the light amplifier image.
IR viewing is useful in situations less extreme than locating and recovering a man overboard. The IR view of your vessel’s surroundings will be useful in many routine situations, especially during periods of mist and light fog. (IR viewing devices are used as landing aids for aircraft when operating in limited visibility conditions).
The version of the First Mate we tested includes the option of recording both still and moving image sequences on an internal, removable SD card. The viewing lens of the First Mate must “see” the world without any intervening glass or plastic that would scatter the incoming IR energy. A standard camera tripod socket on the underside of the device makes it easy to install with a single, small diameter video coax cable used to feed the image to a standard TV set or chartplotter.
The unit will operate for 5 hours from 4 rechargeable, AA NiMH batteries, from non-rechargeable alkaline or Lithium-Ion cells or from an external 9-30 volt DC power source. The image can be switched to either White-Hot or Black-Hot and when desired can be magnified by a factor of two. The device is shockproof, submersible, has positive bouyancy and  weighs only 1.45 pounds.
The First Mate may be a luxury for many boat owners, however if you use your boat in limited visibility conditions, day or night it may become a real lifesaver.