Thermal Imaging Company Embraces
Next-Level Firmware Development

DEXTER, MI September 16, 2006 - This month, Ann Arbor Sensor Systems LLC, a company specializing in affordable thermal imaging, released new browser-based firmware for its flagship thermal imager. The AXT100, available now at less than $5000, is a fixed-mount thermal imaging camera developed for industrial automation as well as research and inspection.

The AXT100 has become the pioneer of many market-firsts for its price range, the most prevalent of which being its internal web server. Using the server, the AXT100 can connect to a network with Fast Ethernet and stream live video or thermal data to multiple destinations. Browser-based firmware was not overlooked in the development process.

"We're a small, lean, company, and we're incredibly aggressive," said David Kryskowski, director of the Michigan-based company. "We can develop, fabricate, and release very quickly, and we used that to our advantage when we authored our browser-based firmware."

The new firmware, dubbed InternalWeb DV, resides within the camera and interacts with it, similar to a router's internal web page. "The DV stands for Dual-View," Kryskowski explained. "The original InternalWeb could deliver live streaming video and change the image on-the-fly. InternalWeb DV has a second panel that allows the user to set and monitor thermal alarms through the browser."

This second panel is named simply SIFTA, or Software Interface For Thermal Alarms. "Our Senior Software Developer [Justin Renken] authored SIFTA to reside within InternalWeb DV. SIFTA uses what we call an 'Active Pixel Matrix' that allows you to 'paint' right on the image with the mouse," Kryskowski said. "Up to four custom regions can be arranged and saved to one of four configurations. Besides displaying visual alarms, SIFTA will close relays on an ADAM 6000 series I/O Module... even e-mail the user upon alarm. I found it quite remarkable that this thing sits in a browser window."

Renken commented on the usability of the new firmware. "I did some homework on the competition, and I found that all the browser-based interfaces lacked realism," Renken said. "I felt like I was in a webpage, not a software application- and InternalWeb DV is just that. InternalWeb DV and SIFTA are so easy to use, a manual is just barely necessary. The balance between usability and power is virtually perfect."

InternalWeb DV is shipping now within the AXT100 at a premium of about $500.00 US. A simulator of InternalWeb DV will soon be available on the company's website, www.aas2.com.

David Kryskowski of Ann Arbor Sensor Systems can be reached at kryskowski.david@aas2.com.