Residents of brightly lit cities forget how unnerving and dangerous driving at night can be without the comforting presence of streetlights. Headlights only penetrate the darkness so far, leaving much of the road and surrounding areas mysterious voids. An errant antelope (or anything else for that matter) might leap into your path or, more commonly, a connecting road might go unnoticed. One solution is FLIR's PathFindIR night vision system, which consists of a camera, installation cable and brackets, and monitor. Using the same core thermal imager that you'll find in a night vision-equipped BMW, the PathFindIR transmits a thermal image to your own in-car video monitor or one included in the kit.
The global leader in infrared cameras, night vision, and thermal imaging systems, FLIR Systems has created pivotal products for a wide range of industrial, commercial, and government activities in more than 60 countries. A pioneer in the commercial infrared camera industry, FLIR has kept many industries, including the military, fully stocked with thermography and night vision equipment for over 30 years. Their automotive aftermarket product brings a range of safety benefits like we've never seen before.
One of the most interesting aftermarket products I've tested, the FLIR PathFindIR is a high-tech thermal sensor that converts thermal energy (i.e., heat) into a 2-D image viewable on a video monitor inside your car. PathFindIR addresses one of the most important problems we all face when driving at night: not having enough time to react to potential road hazards. Since so many serious traffic accidents occur due to the driver not being able to see as far in low light conditions, the system allows the driver to see further without any additional lighting and also provides imaging at any speed.
One very cool feature the unit has is a built-in heating element to stabilize the window and prevent ice buildup in cold weather conditions. The heating system is completely automatic with a range of preprogrammed on/off temperatures. Unlike active IR systems, it uses passive technology that works day or night, and is unaffected by ambient light sources like oncoming headlamps. A standard video output is provided for use with many common monitors on the market.
Installation is pretty straightforward, as the camera can be installed anywhere outside of the vehicle's cabin. In our test car, an '08 Chevy Tahoe, we mounted it next to the driver's side factory foglight facing straight out. We wired the unit into the factory navigation system for the visual feedback. Installation took about two and a half hours from start to finish, including time to read the manual first (yes, we read manuals). It's a good thing we did as it clearly states that when the automatic shutter activates, the image will be "frozen" for about half of a second and a small white box will appear in the left, middle portion of the image during calibration. Without reading the manual, you might think something were wrong. The system comes with a very useful multimount bracket design that allows you change the angle of the sensor with ease.