When team member Kay purchased one of these devices, I could not wait to give it a shot. On a recent trip to St. Louis, I got the opportunity to put her Seek Thermal imager to the test. I was so impressed, I had to have my own. Here are my impressions.
First off, I should start out by saying I am no stranger to thermal imagers. I have owned several, and used many different ones from Raytheon/L3, FLIR, Hughes, etc... I have owned a FLIR B2 and a DCI (argon cooled digital upgrade to the Hughes Probeye series) and the performance of this unit rivals all of them.
First, the good aspects of this imager. It is small, utilizing a 206x156 resolution sensor, which is very good considering the price point. As a point of comparison, FLIR budget imagers right now only boast 80x60 resolutions when using the Lepton core. They compensate for reduced resolution by overlaying a software image layer from a visible light camera and employing an edge-enhancing algorithm. When using in a dark location, this software enhancement is nullified and all you can view is the bare thermal resolution. It is for this reason that I think that the Seek thermal unit exceeds any FLIR device using the Lepton Core.
Another positive of this device is the app that is available for it. It has a nice array of many color palettes and allows for multi-point temperature alarms and the ability to take still shots as well as video. The app is very intuitive and easy to use. This is made even better by the fact that the software development kit for this device will be available later this year allowing app developers to make better apps with more functionality.
This imager is compact, easy to use, and very versatile. I really only have two gripes about it, one of which will be addressed in a coming app update. As it currently ships, when using the Seek with the app, the temperature span is auto-ranging and cannot be set manually. If you are looking at an image with ambient temperatures, a warmer target can wash out those details. If you had the ability to manually set your span, you could adjust for the best display of ambient or thermally acclimated targets and that display would remain the same even if a hotter target traversed the field of view. Seek advised me that this will be a feature included in an upcoming app. upgrade.
The second gripe I have about this imager is really not that big of a deal. In order to comply with ITAR regulations regarding internationals sales and shipment of this device, the image refresh rate is locked at 9hz, or 9 frames-per-second. My old FLIR B2 would functing at 30hz or 30 frames-per-second, ensureing no choppy motion. 30fps is the agreed upon standard for "real time" video. That being said, 9hz is not bad, and the image video is only choppy when making wide sweeping motions quickly, and honestly not that noticeable.
Despite having much lower resolution, the FLIR Lepton core does beat the Seek when it comes to thermal noise, but again that is not that noticeable and I would rather have the resolution vs. slightly less thermal noise.
These are exciting times when it comes to thermal imaging devices. I never thought that I would see such quality devices in an affordable range for average consumers. The Seek comes in several flavors, the regular fixed-focus Seek and the adjustable focus SeekXR. Seek is available for iOS devices with the Lightening interface as well as Android (KitKat or newer) with one caveat for Android devices: The device MUST support USB OTG (USB on-the-go hosting). Only certain devices support this, and most manufacturers are less than forthcoming with this specification. Samsung Galasy S3,4,5,6, devices *usually* support it, larger Galaxy tablets support it (not entry level Galaxy Tab in 7 or 8" flavors), Galaxy Note, Motorola Moto-G, Moto-X, and many LG and HTC devices. Unfortunately there is not a realiable list of what will work for other devices not listed on the Seek website. I have personally tested this device on the Galaxy S3, S4, LG Flex 2, and HTC one. Buyer beware. As of this writing there is not any Windows compatibility. Here is the device being used on an HTC One (2nd gen). The orientation of the port dictated I used a USB-OTG extension cable.
Should you include one in your investigative toolkit? At this price, absolutely. You must familiarize yourself with thermal imaging principals before doing so though, and know what will affect the picture. Watch this video to cleanse any misconceptions about the application of this technology in paranormal investigation. How much is this little jewel? The fixed focus version comes in around 249.00 and the XR version is around 299.00. There is not any price difference with regards to phone platform.
Here are some real-world samples of the Seek thermal imager in action:
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