Night Vision vs. Thermal Imaging Explained

We’ve all heard of night vision. This once military-grade tech is the stuff of spy movies and undercover gadgets. What secret agent didn’t don a pair of night vision goggles during their stakeout? Movie cliches aside, what exactly is night vision, and how does it differ from Speedir’s chosen tech of choice for driving safety: thermal imaging?

Nighttime is the most dangerous time to drive. With your vision severely limited by the dark, headlights are only a little bit of help. Oftentimes they are not enough to give you enough time to react when a hazard comes up in the road, such as an animal or pedestrian, and they are notorious for making things worse in heavy rain or fog. So, what is the best solution to help us drive safer in the dark and bad weather?

You might think that night vision cameras could help. In certain situations, they might help with seeing in the dark. Night vision is a technology you might be familiar with, as it was once exclusive military-grade technology, but now it is widely available from smart phone cameras to basic home surveillance systems. However, when compared to more advanced tech, like the thermal imaging cameras produced by Speedir, it is woefully inadequate in helping you see at night while driving.

First, you should know how each technology works on its own, so that they can be compared to see the stark difference between night vision and thermal imaging.