During last week's AUSA Annual Convention (Washington, DC, 25-27 October 2010), FLIR Systems introduced the world's first true thermal binoculars. The Recon(r) BN6 and Recon(r) BN10 provide an authentic binocular viewing experience and a true depth of field capability.
Two thermal cameras, one for each eye, provide the same parallax effect achieved by the human visual system, allowing the viewer to experience a three-dimensional view. This technology enhances the ability to judge distances and relative distance of objects in the scene, making the Recon BN series a far more useful tool for reconnaissance, surveillance, and similar tasks.

"Largely due to cost reasons, a true thermal binocular has not been available until now," explained Bill Sundermeier, President, FLIR Government Systems. "The concept is not new, but the expense of putting two thermal cameras in one product made the technology cost prohibitive. The widely available alternative has been a 'bi-ocular' where both eyes view the same camera. This has worked reasonably well, except that you can't distinguish distance, prohibiting depth perception. With FLIR's vast production volumes and low costs, we are able to offer a true binocular for less than the price of a typical bi-ocular system".

Based on FLIR's advanced uncooled thermal camera technology, the Recon BN6 and BN10 feature long battery life, light weight, and full immersion capability. FLIR is one of very few companies capable of producing both uncooled and cooled IR focal plane arrays (FPAs), and has the world's highest volume production capability for vanadium oxide (VOx) uncooled microbolometers, with an internal capacity of more than 250,000 yielded devices per year.