Thermal cameras and applications: a survey <s> Medical analysis <s> Although the application of Thermal Infrared (TIR) imaging in breast cancer study starts as early as 1961, it has not been widely recognized due to the premature use of the technology, the superficial understanding of the infrared (IR) images, and its poorly controlled introduction into breast cancer detection in the 70s. Recent advances in infrared technology, image processing ability and pathophysiological-based understanding of IR. images have spurred renewed interest in the use of infrared breast imaging [12], [13]. This paper aims to provide a survey of recent research achievements from these three aspects. <s> BIB001 </s> Thermal cameras and applications: a survey <s> Medical analysis <s> We present a novel model for measurement of the arterial pulse from the superficial temporal artery (STA) using passive thermal infrared (IR) sensors. The proposed approach has a physical and physiological basis and as such is of fundamental nature. Thermal IR camera is used to capture the heat pattern from superficial arteries, and a blood vessel model is used to describe the pulsatile nature of the blood flow. A multiresolution wavelet-based signal analysis approach is used to extract the arterial pulse waveform, which lends itself to various physiological measurements. We validate the results using a traditional contact vital-sign monitor as a ground truth. Eight people of different age, race and gender have been tested in our study consistent with IRB approval. The resultant arterial pulse waveforms exactly matched the ground-truth readings. The essence of our approach is the automatic detection of region of arterial pulse measurement (ROM), from which the arterial pulse waveform is extracted. To the best of our knowledge, the correspondence between non-contact thermal IR imaging based measurements of the arterial pulse in the time domain and traditional contact approaches has never been reported in the literature. <s> BIB002 </s> Thermal cameras and applications: a survey <s> Medical analysis <s> This review describes the features of modern infrared imaging technology and the standardization protocols for thermal imaging in medicine. The technique essentially uses naturally emitted infrared radiation from the skin surface. Recent studies have investigated the influence of equipment and the methods of image recording. The credibility and acceptance of thermal imaging in medicine is subject to critical use of the technology and proper understanding of thermal physiology. Finally, we review established and evolving medical applications for thermal imaging, including inflammatory diseases, complex regional pain syndrome and Raynaud's phenomenon. Recent interest in the potential applications for fever screening is described, and some other areas of medicine where some research papers have included thermal imaging as an assessment modality. In certain applications thermal imaging is shown to provide objective measurement of temperature changes that are clinically significant. <s> BIB003
Thermal imaging provides information about physiological processes through examining skin temperature distributions, which can be related to blood perfusion. In the medical area, cameras with high thermal resolution in the human temperature range are used to observe fine temperature differences. Thermal imaging complements the standard anatomical investigations based on X-ray and 3D scanning techniques, such as CT and MR [84] . Lahiri et al. [102] and Ring and Ammer BIB003 reviewed the medical applications of infrared thermography, including breast cancer detection, diabetes neuropathy, fever screening, dental diagnosis, brain imaging, etc. Thermal imaging has been shown to reveal tumours in an early state, especially with breast cancer, as described in the survey BIB001 . Various other medical issues can be studied from thermal images, such as the behaviour of the ciliary muscle of the human eye [64], the pulse from the superficial temporal artery BIB002 or facial vasculature [57], the volumetric flow rate in superficial veins [117] , or the periodic fluctuation in skin temperature [96] . Thermal imaging of the human foot has also proven to be useful in the detection of ulceration risks for diabetic patients [142] . In rehabilitation, thermal imaging can be employed to monitor and interpret communications from people with motor impairments, such as mouth opening and closing [122].