Can infrared equipment see through metal, glass, or walls?

Not really. Infrared thermography is often confused with x-ray or radiographic equipment. Hollywood movies don't often portray the technology accurately either. In essence, Infrared Cameras are a passive visual capture device. They have sensors that "see and record" light waves that human eyes can't see.

Therefore, they cannot see through metal, glass, and walls. They can only "see and record" the infrared energy emitted from the surface of materials. This information is still very valuable, however, because they are sensitive enough to often detect problems inside a component by the amount of energy (heat) that is being transmitted through the material.

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