Temperature Scanners: What Are They And How Are They Used?

Temperature scanners are devices used to determine the temperature of an object or surface. 

temperature scanners in use

Temperature scanners, although initially developed by Nasa for space exploration applications, have been scaled to suit a variety of smaller applications. We shall explore some of these within this article, including the type of temperature scanner that would be most appropriate. 

Home-Based Applications

Gone are the days where parents use a bulb thermometer to read the temperature of someone with a fever. Nowadays, thermometers are digital. More expensive thermometers are in fact temperature scanners. Rather than requiring direct contact with the skin, these use infrared readings to provide a reading of the thermal radiation emitted by a surface or object to determine the object’s temperature. 

Commercial Applications

The concept of the infrared hand-held thermometer or temperature scanner has been scaled to a larger model that resembles a video camera. This allows reading of thermal radiation in larger capacities such as areas of land when searching for warmth in a cold environment, or other settings such as airports. These can detect individuals registering a fever in a crowd of people. In this sort of capacity, they temperature scanners tend to be more accurate due to the quality of parts used. In the example of an airport, temperature scanners can be used as an early disease or infection control protocol.

temperature scanning gun photo

Temperature scanners can range in size from handheld versions to those that are larger and able to be applied in a commercial setting. They are beneficial in detecting fevers in people in small and large scale operations. 

See the below video for more information on temperature scanners and how they are used.