A medical infrared image, or thermogram, of a chest
Thermography, or infrared imaging, uses specialized cameras that are sensitive to the detection of electromagnetic energy (light) in the infrared wavelengths as heat. These imaging devices serve as a sensing unit and do not give or produce anything that would be harmful to the human body. When the camera’s detectors sense the incoming infrared heat an electrical signal is produced that generates a visible image display.
A thermogram of a back
In healthcare, thermography incorporates the use of high-resolution infrared cameras and sophisticated computer processing to produce a topographic heat map display which bears a resemblance to the visible image of the body. Modern computerized thermography produces an accurate and reproducible high-resolution image that can be analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively for small changes in the skin surface heat emissions. The changes in heat act as a biomarker that may warn of an underlying abnormal physiological problem.