Industry News
Aussie Researchers Develop Thin Film Night Vision Technology
Researchers at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) have made significant strides in revolutionising night vision technology. They have developed an infrared filter that is thinner than a piece of cling wrap, which could be integrated into everyday eyewear, allowing users to view both the infrared and visible light spectrums simultaneously.
Traditional night vision technology is often bulky and heavy, requiring cryogenic cooling and limiting its practical applications. The new approach uses a non-local lithium niobate metasurface to enhance infrared vision through non-linear upconversion technology. This innovation significantly reduces the size and weight of the technology, making it more suitable for widespread adoption.
The new technology has far-reaching implications for various industries, including surveillance, autonomous navigation, and biological imaging. It also opens up new possibilities for consumer applications, such as safer driving and walking in the dark, and less hassle working in low-light conditions.
The TMOS researchers published their findings in Advanced Materials, demonstrating the enhanced infrared vision non-linear upconversion technology using a non-local lithium niobate metasurface. This breakthrough promises significant opportunities for the surveillance, autonomous navigation, and biological imaging industries, amongst others.
Lead author Laura Valencia Molina says, “People have said that high efficiency up-conversion of infrared to visible is impossible because of the amount of information not collected due to the angular loss that is inherent in non-local metasurfaces. We overcome these limitations and experimentally demonstrate high efficiency image up-conversion.”
Author Rocio Camacho Morales says, “This is the first demonstration of high resolution up-conversion imaging from 1550 nm infrared to visible 550 nm light in a non-local metasurface. We choose these wavelengths because 1550 nm, an infrared light, is commonly used for telecommunications, and 550 nm is visible light to which human eyes are highly sensitive. Future research will include expanding the range of wavelengths the device is sensitive to, aiming to obtain broadband IR imaging, as well as exploring image processing, including edge detection.”
Chief Investigator Dragomir Neshev says, “These results promise significant opportunities for the surveillance, autonomous navigation, and biological imaging industries, amongst others. Decreasing the size weight and power requirements of night vision technology is an example of how meta-optics, and the work TMOS is doing, is crucial to Industry 4.0 and the future extreme miniaturisation of technology.”
The development of this thin film technology could lead to a new era in night vision, making it more accessible and practical for everyday use. As the researchers continue to refine their technology, it is likely to have a profound impact on various industries and applications, transforming the way we interact with our environment in low-light conditions.
