For many years, single-spot radiation thermometers (sometimes called pyrometers) have been widely used in the steel industry. They have many advantages compared to contact devices like thermocouples. They can be positioned at a distance to “look” at the process and measure the infrared radiation that is emitted by the target object. In this way, they can operate out of harm’s way. Because they don’t touch the surface, they can accurately measure fast-moving objects like steel strip, whereas a thermocouple would suffer from a frictional effect on the measurement.