You’re driving down a pitch-black road in the middle of the night and, worse yet, you have no idea where you are. You keep your speed up, too scared to stop on the winding road, when suddenly a running deer dashes out and freezes in front of your car. You slam on the breaks, and wait breathlessly as the vehicle attempts to slide to a stop. According to a National Academies of Science report, about 200 people are killed in as many as two million wildlife-related crashes each year. Now, a new automotive invention is looking to help drivers more clearly see these creatures coming.
Developed by FLIR Systems, the PathFindIR helps ensure safe driving in the darkest areas. The invention is a small camera that attaches to the front of a car or truck, wired to a monitor installed in the vehicle’s dash. However, this is no regular camera – it’s a compact thermal imaging camera where the hottest objects (like people and animals) appear bright white and the coldest objects (like the road) appear black. This is the same technology that has been used for decades by the military, allowing choppers to scope an area without shining a spotlight and giving themselves away (also similar to the vision used by the alien invader in the movie “Predator”).
The PathFindIR camera weighs less than a pound, allowing it to be installed in tight locations on a vehicle, like behind the grill or around the front bumper. The camera is designed to withstand the effects of heavy humidity and extreme weather, and function in all temperatures. Video from the PathFindIR camera is relayed to the monitor (which is not included with the camera, a user must purchase it separately). While driving down a dark road, an individual can glance at the monitor to get a clearer picture of what is in front of them. Objects like running deer, which often are nearly impossible to see, become much clearer through the PathFindIR camera, where their heat-producing bodies make them stand out against the dark backdrop. In addition to the hazard of darkness, the camera also can help drivers see better in daytime rain storms, through smoke and light fog, and when vision is obscured by oncoming headlights.
According to FLIR, the PathFindIR enables a driver to see four times further than they could with standard headlights (which brighten 250 to 450 feet in front of a car). Based in Portland, Oregon, FLIR specializes in designing and manufacturing thermal image and broadcast camera systems for a variety of purposes. The company has developed similar thermal imaging devices for government weapons, helicopters, boats and more. They’ve also produced infrared camera for a variety of science and technology purposes, including use at power plants, manufacturing facilities and different science and R&D initiatives. Prior to the PathFindIR, their vision systems have been used in commercial aviation, law enforcement and security cameras. FLIR decided to apply the technology to automobiles to help drivers more quickly see objects (like animals) in the dark, giving them a greater amount of reaction time to stop. PathFindIR technology was an included feature in various 2007 BMW models.
The PathFindIR is currently available from select dealers in North and South America (see the FLIR Web site for a complete list).
