Are you stuck trying to decide between short wave infrared (SWIR)Â and near-infrared (NIR) technology for your next project?
SWIR and NIR are both types of imaging that rely on infrared radiation to create an image. They can be used for a wide range of things, and many businesses employ these imaging technologies.
To determine which is best for you, you need to understand the key difference between them. Read on to learn all about it.
What is SWIR?
Infrared radiation has a wavelength of 700 to 1,00,000 nanometers (nm). SWIR falls between 1,400 and 3,000 nm. It’s fairly close to the visible light spectrum.
All objects that emit heat, even those that feel particularly cold to the touch, emit infrared radiation than can be measured. To view an object’s SWIR, you’ll need a SWIR camera with a special lens that can “see” this radiation.
Applications for SWIR
SWIR can paint a detailed picture of complex reactions. It has uses in the scientific community and in a number of industries.
An ideal use case for SWIR is atmospheric imaging. Water droplets and dust particles in the air won’t scatter and SWIR image, but they can obscure images taken on the visible light spectrum. This makes SWIR perfect for observing atmospheric conditions on hazy days.
SWIR imagining can also be used to remove certain kinds of debris from production lines. For instance, coffee beans are highly reflective when viewed under 1,400 nm light, but things like twigs are not. A SWIR image allows an automated system to easily find and remove the twigs, a task that would be almost impossible if the system relied on visible light.
What is NIR?
NIR is even closer to visible light than SWIR is. It has a wavelength between 780 and 1,400 nm.
Since it’s so close to the visible light band, objects observed with NIR imaging look similar to black and white photographs. Like SWIR, you’ll need a special camera and sensor set-up to accurately view this kind of radiation.
Applications for NIR
NIR imaging can be used for a broad range of activities.
It can be useful for surveillance companies, helping create clear images in low light conditions.
It’s also an incredible tool for the medical community, where it’s used to identify the composition of various samples. Virtually every chemical looks different under 780 nm light, so it can accurately identify a wide range of reactions.
What’s the Difference?
The key difference between NIR and SWIR is how close they are to the visible light spectrum. While both NIR and SWIR have similar uses, SWIR has a lower likelihood of fluorescence obscuring an image, allowing it to create a more detailed picture.
See Beyond Visible Light with IR Imaging
NIR and SWIR imaging allow you to see the infrared light emitted by an object. With it, you’ll have an in-depth view of its chemical structure.
Both kinds of IR imaging are incredibly useful, but SWIR can create a more detailed look at an object thanks to being farther from the visible light spectrum.
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