Problem
The oil and diesel industries are plagued by the inability to accurately discriminate oil on water because there is not a strong contrast between them. Thermal infrared imaging is limited because it can only distinguish oil from water when there is a large thermal difference between the two. Thermal and visible imagers are also unable to distinguish oil from vegetation or sun glint on the water.
Solution
Even if the oil and water temperatures are the same, our polarization imager Pyxis® can detect oil on water up to 400% better than standard thermal imagery while seepage can be detected up to a kilometer away. These impressive features make Pyxis the perfect solution for leak and seep detection.
Real-Time Seep & Leak Detection

Polaris Oil Detection System
Exploiting the cutting-edge of the Pyxis polarized infrared camera, the PODS™ encases Pyxis in an environmental enclosure and detects contaminants on water. It outperforms conventional thermal 24/7. Using the PODS software and user interface, the oil appears red and can be configured to set off automatic alarms when detected.
Now we partner with American Aerospace’s SkyScape to put our Pyxis sensor on a drone. We call this the Oil Spill Cleanup And Response drone system, or OSCAR for short. The OSCAR system combines a Pyxis LWIR sensor and a Pyxis Vis on a 3-axis gimbal which is mounted on the underside of a sUAS. This fully-integrated system includes everything necessary for remote field operations including airborne data acquisition, real-time data viewing, and one-button report generation. Find the target quickly, assess the situation, report on findings, and respond in minutes.