Specim launches ‘world’s first’ mobile hyperspectral camera

Specim claims it has launched the world’s first mobile hyperspectral camera. The company says the new device enables analysis of material samples “anywhere, in seconds”.

Specim adds that the new camera – Specim IQ – “sets a new standard in usability and information availability.”

Hyperspectral cameras collect information from across the electromagnetic spectrum, with the aim of obtaining the spectrum for each pixel in the image of a scene. 

Specim says the IQ hyperspectral camera has applications in industries ranging from food and health to forensic investigation, recycling, art, and agriculture, says the company.

These sectors will “benefit immensely” when their real-time mobile monitoring needs are met with a vast variety of applications that Specim IQ can offer, claims the company.

Specim IQ is an advanced measurement and imaging solution that provides information in an instant for critical decision making and response.

Specim says the camera and software are easy to adapt and configure for applications in food safety, recycling, health, forestry and many other sectors.

The camera is ideally suited to the needs of manufacturers for building their own applications for their own clientele. Specim says its Application Development Tool makes it easier to do this.

Specim provides a few examples of what the IQ’s applications:

• In the field of agriculture, farmers will be able to screen their crops for infestation and see the results immediately, in many cases a week before any problems are visible to the human eye. Rather than routinely treating crops, they will be able to treat them just where needed.
• Forensic investigators will be able to screen a crime scene for evidence in just seconds. Prior to the SPECIM IQ the process of collecting samples, sending them to the lab, and waiting for the results could have taken days or even weeks.
• In the art world, immediate forgery detection could become a routine part of the art sales process, eliminating dispute and costly court proceedings.
• Hyperspectral imaging, which combines spectroscopy and digital imaging, is the best available measurement technology for demanding measurement applications. By enabling spectral analysis down to the pixel level, it provides unprecedented capabilities for analysing the physical and chemical make-up of both large and small samples.
• Until now, the complexity and bulky size of the equipment and lack of real time information have limited its use in industrial applications. Specim has solved these limitations by introducing its full line of industrial products complemented now by Specim IQ.

Esko Herrala, one of the founders and innovators behind Specim, says: “Specim IQ is a truly smart design which enables users to concentrate on problem-solving rather than complex data acquisition and processing.

“The graphical user interface is simple to use, and it provides instant measurement results and insights into the problem without requiring complex mathematics or signal processing skills.

“This makes Specim IQ an ideal OEM product for medical, cosmetics, and other industries.

“We are very excited to present a next-gen device that can help solve many of the world’s pressing problems in the future.”