Cat S60: The World's First Smartphone With A Thermal Camera
The Cat S60 is the world's first smart phone with an embedded thermal imaging camera, and the most waterproof smartphone available. The Cat S60 is the flagship device of Cat® and was first presented at the MWC 2016. From the above features you must have already assumed that it’s not aimed at the average smartphone user, with its pre-order price in the UK being £529 unlocked. US and Australian pre-orders have yet to be announced, but the UK price converts to around AU$920, and in the US it will sell for $599 unlocked.
Cat S60 has an embedded Lepton thermal microcamera module, powered by FLIR, which is used to visualize the heat that is invisible to the naked eye, showing temperature differences of objects in the environment. Access to the unit is achieved through a special app called MyFLIR, which is accompanied by a wide range of capabilities for the recording and analysis of thermal images, unique in the world of smartphones.
The thermal camera of Cat S60 enables its users to be the first worldwide to use their smartphones for a variety of new uses, such as detecting heat loss around windows and doors, detecting moisture leaks and the lack of insulation, identification of electrical devices and circuits which are overheating, as well as visibility in complete darkness. In addition, the Cat S60 is extremely waterproof, something that allows it to be underwater for one hour in depths of up to 5 meters, making it a great underwater camera.
As for its technical characteristics, the Cat S60 features a 4.7-inch display with 720p resolution equipped with Gorilla Glass 4, and can be touched by wet hands or gloves. It also has a Snapdragon 617 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera, as well as a 3.800mAh battery. It is running Android Marshmallow, supports 4G and it’s obvious that it is made of strong metal and aluminum alloys.
Peter Stephens, CEO Bullitt Group, global mobile device licensee for Caterpillar, stated:
“To stand out from the crowd in today's smartphone market requires true innovation and we are proud to partner with FLIR to announce what is truly a world’s first,. The Cat S60 represents a milestone for smartphones. We are excited for thermal technology to be in the hands of Cat phones customers and to discover the myriad of daily time and efficiency use cases it will present for them. [..] We have also engaged the developer community, sponsoring a Hackathon to bring thermal imaging capabilities to a whole host of relevant apps.
This smartphone is definitely meant for professionals who need to have something strong with special abilities to help them out in their activities. The video below is a great example for this case:
