You can easily build your own infrared camera using almost any type of cheap PC webcam.The concept behind this is that by design, CCDs used in photo or video cameras are sensitive to a wider spectrum of light then a human eye. Since infrared degradates true colors and general quality of a regular image, there is usually an infrared filter put just before CCD, so it lets through only all of the visible light.
Now, we want to reverse it. That is, we want all infrared and no visible light. The rest will be done by intelligence build in the capture software and rest of the camera itself, because it will automatically adapt to those new conditions, trying to display properly eposured image captured with only red sensors of the CCD.
This is the webcam I used for this hack:
To change your cheap webcam to an infrared one, you will need:- a webcam obviously
- a piece of unexposed but developed camera film (can be found at the beginning of a developed film roll)
- a tiny screwdriver or a sharp knife
- silicon glue or any other
Do the following:1. Disassemble the webcam by removing its lens (most of webcams allow to adjust focus by turning its lens - just unscrew it).
2. Remove the small infrared filter glass (one that has a red glow on it).
3. Cut two square pieces from the black camera film (of the same size as the filter glass you've just removed).
4. Put both of them into the lens holder, just where the infrared filter was.
5. Glue them to the plastic with a tiny drop of silicon glue or any other glue you prefer.
6. Put the lens back into the camera.
7. Connect your new infrared webcam to PC and have fun.
This picture shows lens, black film used as a visible light filter and the old infrared filter glass:Here are some pictures I have taken with my camera. Green plants look very strange, because they reflect much more infrared then visible light:
This is my hand in infrared. Veins seem to be more visible as well:
