Seek Thermal releases affordably priced thermal camera for iOS, Android devices

If you’re looking for an affordable thermal camera for your iOS device, it may be en route sooner or later.

Per VentureBeat, Santa Barbara, Calif.-based company Seek Thermal launched an affordable thermal camera for for iOS and Android devices on September 25 priced at a consumer-friendly US$199. The camera attachment is now available for purchase through Seek’s website as well as Amazon.

Unlike normal cameras which use light to form images, thermal cameras have special lenses and sensors that capture heat and construct images based on the variations they pick up on. The company expects the camera to be used mostly for safety and security (it can help you spot someone hiding), home improvement (it can help you detect energy leaks), boating (it can help you spot floating debris in the dark), and for finding animals and pets in the dark. However, chief executive Robert Acker is looking forward to seeing what new uses customers discover, he said in an interview.

The company plans to focus on producing its consumer-grade camera and eventually license out its technology to specialized hardware companies looking to make thermal cameras and tools for specific purposes, Acker said.

Seek Thermal was founded by Bill Parrish and Tim Fitzgibbons and has raised US$30 million in funding from unnamed private equity and institutional investors.