Important Dates
How it began
1965 — AGA develops the first commercial infrared scanner for powerline inspections, taking thermography from lab to field.
1973 — First battery-operated portable scanner; mobility expands inspections beyond fixed setups.
1975 — Inframetrics introduces the first TV-compatible IR system, simplifying image review and training.
1978 — Dual-wavelength system enables real-time analog recording for R&D and complex materials analysis.
Engineering for the field (1970s–1980s)
1980s — Long-wave (LWIR) advances reduce solar reflection issues for outdoor surveys; radiometry (temperature at a distance) becomes practical across more targets.
Late 1980s — Stirling-cooled mid-wave (MWIR) focal-plane arrays (FPAs) improve sensitivity and speed versus liquid nitrogen workflows.
From cooled to uncooled (1990s)
1995 — Inframetrics launches a full-featured, camcorder-style FPA camera—higher performance in a portable form.
1997 — Agema 570: the first uncooled long-wave microbolometer camera. Removing cryogens shrinks size, boosts uptime, and makes handheld thermography practical at scale.
1998–1999 — Flir acquires Agema (Sweden) and Inframetrics (Boston), combining decades of detector and thermography expertise.
Detectors, scale, and new applications (2000s)
2002 — Flir E-Series debuts: a modern platform that helps drive cost down and adoption up.
2003 — Flir acquires Indigo Systems, strengthening cooled and uncooled detector design and supply (detectors, cores, finished cameras).
2006–2007 — Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) cameras visualize fugitive VOCs (e.g., methane) and SF₆—enabling faster leak surveys and safety gains.
Clarity and connectivity (2010s)
2012 — MSX® (Multi-Spectral Dynamic Imaging) overlays crisp visual edges onto thermal data, keeping labels and components legible in the same frame as the heat signature—improving documentation quality.
2010s — Integrated Wi-Fi and app workflows begin moving images and annotations without SD cards; camera-to-cloud reporting takes shape.
Workflows, not just images (2020s)
2021 — Flir joins Teledyne Technologies, expanding resources across sensing and software.
2025 — iXX-Series launches: phone-familiar UI, guided capture, asset/load/ambient recorded at point of inspection, and automatic camera-to-cloud sync. Reports assemble in the background—decision-ready before the technician leaves site.
Why these milestones matter
- Cooled FPAs → sensitivity & speed: essential for demanding targets and fast transients.
- Uncooled LWIR microbolometers → access & scale: no cryogens, smaller form factor, longer run time.
- Radiometric imaging → measurement you can trust: temperature with context, not just pictures.
- MSX® → documentation clarity: the part you saw is the part you report.
- Camera-to-cloud → decisions sooner: evidence moves while it’s still useful.
- iXX → expert-grade, day one: the workflow is embedded; the tool feels familiar.
