Thermochromic Temperature Measurement: Towards an Alternative to Thermal Cameras

This work presents a cheap alternative to using thermal cameras or other expensive temperature measurement devices to measure surface temperatures. We make use of color-changing pigment and a simple RGB webcam to get an estimated temperature value of a selected area in an image. We take a closer look at the properties of different thermochromic pigments and how they can be applied to different surfaces. Finally, we demonstrate how a calibration procedure is used to analyze the behavior of the pigment and form a connection between temperature and color, allowing us to estimate the current temperature.