Toward the design of a wearable system for contact thermography in telemedicine.

Thermal imaging of the skin has been used for several decades for monitoring of temperature distribution of human skin for the detection of thermal abnormalities indicating pathologies (malignancies, inflammation, infection, and vascular, dermatological, and rheumatic disorders). Literature has shown that to detect and monitor the thermal abnormalities related to pathologic conditions, there is a need to extend acquisition over 8, 12, 16, or 24 hours. A wearable device is strongly needed in contact thermography to reach the objective of long-term monitoring of contact thermography, especially in telemedicine applications.