Thermal imaging and the use of infrared vision are becoming quite common in a wide spectrum of industries. Today, you can find them in the maintenance sector for electricity, equipment, and industries. Similarly, in the residential and commercial segment, many experts use them to detect leaks and other issues.
Learning how to use a thermal camera professionally can improve your chances of employment in various sectors. Let’s help you get a roadmap to opportunities and challenges related to thermal imaging technology.
The Opportunities Of Thermal Imaging Skills
If you have proof of proficiency in using thermal imaging cameras, then you’re looking at an array of opportunities for your career. Here’s a quick overview of various areas where thermal imaging is used and might offer you an opportunity:
- Construction Sector: Building inspection for structural integrity, water leaks, heat leaks, and electrical infrastructure.
- Installation Services: Energy auditing to check the efficiency of the system. You check for the cooling, heating, and cost-efficiency.
- Audits: Home inspections commonly rely on thermal imaging cameras from RS to detect electrical issues, HVAC efficiency, moisture, insulation gaps, and more.
- Predictive Maintenance: As overheating is a common issue in various electrical and hardware components, their maintenance to prevent failure, damage, and downtime is highly appreciated. Predicting the need for maintenance is an additional skill that thermal imaging makes easier.
- First Response: Thermal cameras are also used in search and rescue missions, especially in low light or hard-to-navigate environments. In disasters and emergencies, thermal technology is vital.
- Firefighting: The same applies to firefighting to detect hotspots and flow of the heat and fire, among other things. It helps firefighters navigate and provide a proper response.
- Environmental Studies: In wildlife conservation, ecology, and other associated studies, it is pivotal to study wildlife behaviour, check the population, learn the movement, and other activities. Thermal imaging can help in the field, especially to study wildlife in natural habitats without causing a disturbance.
- Security Sector: In the security and surveillance sector, thermal cameras are used in low-light conditions to detect intruders. Similarly, learning to use thermal goggles and other tools is often necessary in the police force, but you could also play a vital role as a security personnel.
- Cooking Industry: In the baking and cooking industry, thermal imaging is used to maintain the quality and consistency of the items.
Thermal imaging technology and cameras are also being used in research and development. Drones are also adapting the technology. Therefore, all the experts need to learn more about thermal imaging and how to properly navigate by using the data provided by the systems.
The Challenges Related To Thermal Imaging Technology Careers
Most challenges in the sector are related to learning and adapting to technological advancements. As new models and better tools are being used, including AIs in thermal monitoring, it is becoming pivotal to keep up to date. Therefore, you need to be prompt in learning about the latest thermal imaging tools and systems to stay relevant.
Often, thermal imaging also requires you to have knowledge about physics, optics, and other interdisciplinary skills. You might also need a licence, or meet compliance and safety standards in some regions or areas. This could be limited to certain duties, or professions, for example, firefighting.
Unfortunately, thermal imaging is still a fresh concept, and there are many industries or sectors where it is not being used properly. Therefore, people don’t always acknowledge its necessity. This leads to the lack of open spots for thermal imaging experts. However, with the modern addition of smartphone screens working with thermal screens, it is gaining a trajectory and things might change with time.