A group of scientists at the Australian National University and Nottingham Trent University, have developed a new technology that could revolutionize night vision.
According to scientists, ordinary glasses could soon double as night vision glasses, after scientists developed a thin layer of crystal as a filter to help humans see in the dark.
The transparent metal film contains nanometric crystals ; i.e. a super-thin membrane placed on the surface of ordinary glasses, as it is hundreds of times thinner than human hair.
This metal film can be applied directly to glasses and works by converting infrared light, invisible to the human eye, into images that humans can see.
A revolution in night vision:
The researchers believe that this technology can revolutionize the night vision by providing a cheap alternative and lightweight system that military and police forces can use.
Scientists emphasize that this technique can make returning people home while driving at night extremely safe.
The technology, which requires no energy source, was developed by an international team from the Australian National University (ANU) and Nottingham Trent University.
Exciting development:
“We have made the invisible visible, “said Dr. Rocio Camacho Morales, lead researcher at the Australian National University, adding:” our technology is able to transform infrared light, normally invisible to the human eye, into images that people can clearly see even from a distance.”
“The film is made up of layers of hundreds of nanometric crystals made of a semiconductor called gallium arsenide, and these colors or the frequency of light passing through them can manipulate, allowing the film to convert infrared photons into a visible image of the human eye,”he added.
“This is the first time anywhere in the world that infrared light has been successfully converted into visible images in a super-thin screen, “said Dragomir Neshev, professor of physics at ANU.
“It’s a really exciting development, and we know it will change the night vision landscape forever,”she added.
