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THE MIND BOGGLES about what it might be used for, but in the future we could get night vision technology in mobile phone cameras.
Night vision googles are usually clunky and associated with soldiers or serial killers, but technology has been introduced that is paper-thin and cheap.
A researcher from the University of Florida has created a nickel-sized imaging device that uses light-emitting diode technology similar to what is used in mobile phones and laptop screens.
"Really, this is a very inexpensive device," said professor Franky So. "Incorporating it into a [mobile] phone might not be a big deal."
Night vision googles use a photocathode that converts invisible infrared light photons into electrons, which are accelerated under high voltage and driven onto a phosphorous screen, producing greenish images which are usually too dark to see well.
Because the whole process needs thousands of volts and a cathode ray vacuum tube made of thick glass, night vision googles are big.
To make the whole process smaller, the experimental imaging device instead replaces the vacuum tube with layers of organic semiconductor thin film material.
It works by using a photodetector connected in series with an LED and, when operated, infrared photons are converted into electrons and injected into the LED, which produces visible light.
The professor said that the technology could weigh a couple of ounces and be small enough to use in a mobile phone camera, and it will be cheap to manufacture because it uses the same equipment used to make laptop screens or TVs.
Other than that, it could be used on car windshields, or even glasses. This certainly could make camping or other night time activities very interesting indeed. µ
It's about time. We've had "Nightshot" and such features on our digital cameras for well over a decade now.
Any phone that has a digital camera can be pretty easily tricked into doing night vision with the simple addition of an IR emitter. Why haven't we had night vision on phones for years already?
WifiRobin works in the 2.4GHz band, consistent with IEEE802.11b / g standards, the actual data rates up to 20Mbps or more, with a high bit-rate transmission distance and other characteristics of the wireless applications with best choice for coverage.
Since this is being developed in the US it'll probably become illegal to sell them outside the US like the newer generation nightvision equipment is now, they only allow 20yo stuff and the newer stuff only for specially approved military and cops, so unless apple or sony tell the governments it's OK and puts it in their phones it won't likely end up in anything consumers can buy outside the US, well maybe in a 200K mercedes, if you can't remove it.
when it gets smaller so I can get a late night snack without turning on the light. ;) Better yet, come up with something my dog can use as well, nothing beats scaring the crap out of the Luddite neighbors.
@phil
it'd get smaller, quickly.
personally, i cant wait for some ski goggle shaped night vision gear, that sh1t would be sick!
"the technology could weigh a couple of ounces and be small enough to use in a mobile phone camera"
That would add 50% extra weight to an Iphone and would double the weight of my current phone.
It's hard enough using a 'day vision' camera for perfectly honest and legal purposes without being walloped under the Terrorism Act by some copper or CSO.
Imagine the field day they're going to have when they see you're "concealing night vision equipment in a terror zone". Or to put it into laymans terms, they needed to fill their quotas and intimidate the public so they picked on some random bloke they saw finishing a phone call whilst walking past Trafalgar Square after a night out and putting his phone (which he got free from the network as part of his contract) back into his pocket.
Perhaps things will change tomorrow? probably not. I suspect it's going to get worse.
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