I've recently bought a couple of infrared panels just to see if they're any good, and I figured I had nothing to lose. I think it's easy to get stuck in the 'central heating' paradigm, and nothing else works quite like central heating. The point about IR panels though is they provide comfort rather than heat. A bit like sitting beside an open fire can provide comfort without the thing warming the air very much.
I can report they're not burning hot to touch.
I reckon they could be good under a desk to keep legs warm during long periods of sitting e.g. at a computer workstation. I've seen designs that mount the panel on the underside of the desk pointing downward to achieve similar effect. I guess they could also be useful in the bathroom where people do silly things like removing their clothes and splashing water on their skin.
If used in domestic heating they'd need to be combined with other technologies such as micro-heating and dehumidifiers, in order to approach levels of comfort offered by central heating systems. Central heating systems might still be needed too, albeit running at a lower target temperature.
IR panels are new technology so there are no lifetime studies to show they're safe. Installing IR panels above a bed is specifically warned against, because of the risk of eye damage (for much the same reason we're told not to look at the sun).