Raymarine Electronics isn’t expected to change much in the short term as a result of FLIR System’s acquisition. For the most part, customers can expect the same product line and the same quality of product. And that’s because FLIR bought the company as part of a long-term strategy to expand into the marine market.
However, in the long term, the acquisition of Raymarine Electronics may just change boating navigation technology forever. And the reason is that FLIR plans to use Raymarine Electronics sales and distribution channels to make thermal imaging a standard item on every boat.
FLIR Systems, which was built on thermal imaging technology, has been successful for years selling high end thermal imaging devices. However, its success has been primarily in the marine segments of the defense, security and surveillance industries, not the recreational boater market.
Although FLIR has been selling its thermal imaging products into the non-security segments of the marine market since 2006, the company so far has not obtained the market penetration levels it wants. And this is despite the fact that thermal imaging technology has been advancing and costs dropping.
With even more advances in thermal technology expected and lower prices to come, the opportunity to buy Raymarine could not have come at a better time for FLIR. The acquisition of Raymarine, which has an established business network in the recreational boaters market, correctly positions FLIR to obtain market share right before technologically induced priced drops accelerate demand.
With lower costs, the marine market for thermal imagers could very well become just as big a market as marine radar or sonar. Eventually, the market theory goes, boaters will see the advantage of not only having low-cost night vision binoculars, but also integrating 3D thermal image layers and views into their chart plotters.
The reasons why thermal imagers, also referred to as night vision devices, will become a mainstream marine navigational technology are many. Among them is the ability to more safely navigate waterways at night. Thermal imaging systems, unlike radar, give an actual 3D view of what’s in the dark seascape beyond.
With a thermal imager one can clearly see unlit docks, people and boats in the dark. And that’s because thermal imagers work on the basis of heat; different object temperatures are displayed in different colors.
Thermal imagers don’t offer absolute simulated day vision now, but if you look at the thermal images in FLIR’s line, you can see that the technology is getting very close.
Right now however, what makes thermal imagers even more of a deal besides a price that is within reason, is that they have incredible zoom ranges. Some night vision systems let you telescope in on objects that are up to two miles away. This feature not only makes thermal vision systems ideal for search and rescue operations, but also an ideal collision avoidance tool.
But what makes thermal imagers more interesting is that they can be systematically programmed for a wide variety of different navigation applications. A thermal imaging scanner combined with PC software can make for a sophisticated automatic object identification system. Thermal image scanners can be programmed to automatically search for objects that are within specific temperature ranges or have specific thermal fingerprints.
