World’s First 360 Throwable Thermal Camera and Bounce Imaging’s Second TIME Best Invention
BUFFALO, NY, October 30, 2024 – Bounce Imaging is thrilled to announce that its latest innovation, the world’s first panoramic throwable thermal camera – the Pit Viper 360, has been selected for TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024 list.

The Pit Viper 360 is named after rattlesnakes and other pit vipers precisely because it can detect the heat emitted by people and objects, allowing it to see clearly in complete darkness without any additional lighting. That capability has proved essential for everything from finding victims in collapsed structures to providing tactical situational awareness to special operators without giving away their position.
Unlike traditional thermal cameras, the Pit Viper 360 can see in all directions at the same time, can be thrown into dangerous spaces, and can send its crucial video stream to a user’s mobile device with very low latency. Its advanced design delivers this capability with higher resolution, lower latency, and significantly reduced cost compared to traditional thermal cameras. From fire and rescue operations to jungle warfare, this system enables users to reduce risk to themselves and civilians by providing a comprehensive tactical view of dangerous situations.
“Our unique approach allows us to generate stabilized thermal panoramic video with low latency and very low SWAP [size, weight, and power] requirements,” said Sietse Dijkstra, Bounce Imaging’s Chief Technology Officer. “Operating directly in the panoramic projection several orders of magnitude more efficiently than traditional methods, the Pit Viper 360 brings unprecedented versatility and accessibility to tactical teams in critical situations.”
Each year, TIME recognizes groundbreaking inventions shaping our future, and the Pit Viper 360, with its game-changing design and capability in life-saving missions, has earned a place among this year’s exceptional innovations. The Best Invention selection also highlights Bounce Imaging’s track record of innovation, as its visual cameras had previously been recognized as a TIME Best Invention.
The Pit Viper 360 will be commercially available in early 2025, joining Bounce Imaging’s portfolio of advanced tactical systems used daily by elite operators worldwide to ensure their safety and that of civilians. Like all other Bounce Imaging systems, the device will be fully compatible with ATAK, Android, and iOS applications as well as with a range of communications methods including WiFi, 4G/5G, and MANET radios.
The full list of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024 can be viewed at time.com/best-inventions-2024.
About Bounce Imaging
Bounce Imaging, founded at the Harvard Innovation Lab and MIT, designs rugged sensor platforms for stabilized, 360° video and audio capture. Recognized by TIME, CNN, and Popular Science, their technology stitches images 200x faster than traditional methods, maintaining stability even when thrown or rotated. Bounce Imaging’s tactical cameras access areas where robots and drones can’t, enhancing situational awareness and eliminating blind spots. Assembled in Buffalo, NY, and northern Massachusetts, their diversified U.S. supply chain meets NDAA, TAA, and BAA standards. Learn more at bounceimaging.com.