New inventions help reduce night vision goggles

Applying technology in the production of ultra-thin televisions, scientists at the University of Florida, USA, recently created a thin film that allows the conversion of infrared light into visible light.

This technology can bring mobile phones, eyeglasses and car windshields with low-cost night vision.

'This device can transform any infrared image into a picture seen with the naked eye and its weight weighs less than a normal glass', Franky So, University of Florida, interpreted in an article. recently published in Advanced Materials. This magazine is sponsored by DARPA, the US Department of Defense Advanced Research.

Most current night-vision devices use a large amount of electricity - up to thousands of volts and large, heavy lenses. Organic LED technology (OLED) enables the replacement of lenses with thin, light and extremely energy-efficient plastic films.

Future night vision glasses will give a much wider view than the current type used in the military, but the cost is cheaper and mobility is high.

This technology is applied from ultra-thin TV production. Infrared light enters the membrane and is detected by the first membrane layer in 7 layers, which emits a small electrical impulse.

An auxiliary power source, about 3 - 5V, will amplify this signal to be converted into visible light. Just like most of the night cameras today, this device emits green light. The difference is, Franky So's device weighs less than 100 gr.

However, when put into practical application, it is possible to manufacture devices weighing less than 10 gr and thickness of only a few micrometers.

In other words, large and heavy night vision goggles can now be replaced with a thin, light coating that weighs only half of the card.

Scientists estimate it will take 18 months to apply this technology to applications such as car windshields, night vision goggles and phone cameras.

So said: 'Ten years ago when people talked about bringing cameras to mobile phones, many people asked what to do for them. But now it's hard to find a mobile phone that doesn't have a photo feature. In the future, you will not be able to find a phone that is not night-observable. '

Mobile night vision may be just the beginning. So's team plans to study other technologies that can be applied on mobile phones such as thermography. A phone with a temperature sensor will be able to quickly measure the patient's body temperature anytime, anywhere.

Other scientists are very interested in this new research. Professor Yongli Gao, of the University of Rochester, said: "This study has a great potential for night observation. It can be detected heat loss to contribute to the reduction of energy consumption and at the same time. military use ".