A new $80,000 thermal imaging camera will contribute to a cross-section of research currently underway at CQUniversity.

The camera - a high quality unit with good optics and thermal resolution - will be used in a variety of research endeavours in health, exercise physiology, engineering, plant science and environmental sciences.  About 25 staff, drawn from a range of discipline areas, have been trained to use the instrument.

Warm-blooded researchers caught on camera.Applications earmarked include finding hot spots in the body during physical activity, measuring the surface temperature of metal processing kilns, night vision of animal activity and monitoring canopy temperatures related to rice production.

"Most people would know this technology from overseas airports during epidemics, where it is used to screen for people with high temperatures, or for night vision application where the military or police use it to detect people by heat rather than sight," Associate Dean, Research & Innovation Professor Kerry Walsh said.

"The technology has also been used in a number of commercial applications such as power board inspections, building insulation assessments and termite detection in structures."

The camera can detect heat from up to 30 metres away and up to 2000 degrees Celsius.

Technical Officer Greg Capern is the custodian for the instrument, which can be booked out for periods.