Spaceflight Technology Creates an Ear Thermometer

JPL expertise with infrared sensors used to measure the birth of stellar nurseries, has been applied to ear thermometers. An infrared thermometer is able to provide an accurate reading in two seconds or less by painlessly placing a hand-held sensor into the ear opening. These are much more comfortable and faster to use than conventional mercury thermometers.

The design advances incorporated into this one-piece device are changing the way health care practitioners take temperatures. Additionally, obtaining a temperature measurement at the ear using disposable probe covers, packaged in a contamination-resistant plastic housing, protects against cross-contamination - an increasingly important objective in medicine.