Bridging Cost and Performance

Industry's Only
Optical-Based
Thermal Sensor

Most thermal solutions rely on expensive bolometer arrays. Calumino takes a fundamentally different approach, combining a proprietary MOMS (Micro-Opto-Mechanical Systems) chip with a standard CMOS image sensor. The result is high-sensitivity thermal imaging at a fraction of the cost.

Up to
10x
lower cost than microbolometers
Up to
10x
higher performance than thermopiles

Why Long-Wave Infrared?

Every object emits electromagnetic radiation. At room temperature, humans and objects in our environment emit overwhelmingly in the “thermal” LWIR (Long Wave Infrared) band, making it the optimal window for privacy-safe human sensing.

Electromagnetic Spectrum, Wavelength
Standard RGB Cameras
400 – 800 nm
NIR Cameras
850 – 1,100 nm
CTS Operating Window
8 – 14 μm LWIR
Standard RGB Cameras
Visible Light
Blind in darkness

Pixel response drops to zero without illumination. Completely useless at 0.5 lux or below.

  • Requires external lighting
  • Fails below 0.5 lux
NIR Cameras
Near-Infrared
Needs a light source

Reflects external illumination — performance degrades in the environments that matter most.

  • Dependent on external light
  • Unreliable in real conditions
Calumino's Solution
LWIR Thermal Imaging
Works in total darkness

Detects emitted body heat with no illumination required and no external light dependence. Reliable in any lighting condition, 24/7.

  • No light source needed
  • Works day and night
  • Privacy-safe — no identifiable image

How The Sensor Works

Unlike bolometers and thermopiles, Calumino uses a purely optical readout: no electronic noise in the signal chain.

Incoming LWIR Radiation

Directed via IR lens. Every object emits LWIR, independent of light conditions.

MOMS Micro-Mirror Chip

Calumino's secret sauce. Micro-mirrors tilt in proportion to absorbed heat, encoding temperature as an optical angle, not a voltage.

Optical Readout

A low-cost standard blue LED illuminates the MOMS chip via a beamsplitter. Large impact on sensitivity tuning.

CMOS Image Sensor

A smartphone-grade CMOS sensor captures reflected light from the micro-mirrors, bypassing need for expensive detector ICs.