eli5 How do contactless clinical thermometers work, when it’s cold outside?
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You know how when something gets very hot (like an electric stove), it glows red or even yellow hot? Well, it turns out everything that has a temperature above absolute zero is actually “glowing” hot. Our eyes can only see a small range of colors, so most thing glow at colors outside of those we can see. But you can use special cameras or infrared detectors which can pick up the glow put off by humans at around 98.6F (or 37C).
Contactless thermometers use sensors to detect the infrared glow our bodies put off. If your temperature is higher than normal (a fever), you will glow slightly brighter, and a slightly different color. These thermometers can pick these differences up.
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