%Secondary_title%: Top 200 Inventions of 2024

A thermal imaging camera the size of a softball that can be thrown into dangerous situations, from hostage situations to natural disasters, may seem like science fiction. But Francisco Aguilar, founder of Bounce Imaging, has made it scientific fact with the Pit Viper 360, released in September. “This is especially applicable to the industrial search and rescue safety markets,” Aguilar says. “It’s very important to see someone among the rubble.” It uses six wide-field-of-view, high-refresh-rate thermal imaging cameras combined with an accelerometer to determine which direction is up, providing live images of hard-to-reach situations. “What we’re trying to do is make things accessible to a lot of people, from the most elite special operators to small police departments,” Aguilar says.