Teledyne FLIR OEM, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, has unveiled the Boson® SX8, marking a significant development in thermal camera technology. This new offering is the first NDAA-compliant, mass-produced, uncooled longwave infrared (LWIR) thermal camera module featuring an 8-micron pixel pitch and SXGA (1280 × 1024) resolution.
The innovative 8-micron pixels provide superior thermal performance and offer four times the resolution compared to conventional uncooled VGA (640 × 512) thermal camera modules, all within a compact design.
The Boson SX8 family is engineered for high-performance operations while maintaining considerations for size, weight, and power (SWaP), making it suitable for use in defence and industrial settings.
This cutting-edge technology allows integrators and operators to enhance their surveillance capabilities with long-range, high-definition thermal imaging suitable for mass production.
This new thermal camera family is crucial for applications like uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), counter-UAS, perimeter security, handheld devices, and intelligence systems, among others. It brings capabilities traditionally found in heavier and more power-intensive cooled, midwave infrared (MWIR) systems into a lightweight, efficient form.
Paul Clayton, President of Teledyne FLIR OEM, remarked, “By reducing pixel area by 55% compared to the standard 12-micron LWIR pixel format, Boson SX8 represents a transformational moment for thermal imaging. By pairing this advanced 8-micron pixel architecture with SXGA thermal resolution at full-rate production, we’re giving customers greater situational awareness and longer effective range without compromising SWaP or supply-chain confidence.”
The Boson SX8 series includes the Boson SX8-CZ 15–75, featuring a factory-integrated 5x continuous-zoom (CZ) lens to enhance range performance. This addition combines the camera module with a 15–75 mm zoom lens, aligned and calibrated as a single system.
This design ensures optimal performance through focus-through-zoom capabilities, thermal gradient compensation, and factory alignment, supported by a single warranty, thereby reducing integration risks and accelerating time to market.
Manufactured in the United States by a pioneer supplier of OEM thermal camera modules, the Boson SX8 and Boson SX8-CZ models are intended for ease of production deployment. They provide a streamlined path for OEMs from development to full-scale manufacturing, including integration with Teledyne FLIR OEM’s Prism™ intelligent embedded software.
