OLED Coating Could Give You Night-Vision Spectacles
Posted in: Displays, Miscellaneous, R&D and Inventions, Today's Chili
A new thin-film technology sees infra-red light and displays it using OLEDs. Coating your spectacles, it could give you Predator-style night-vision.
The tech, from DARPA-funded Franky So at the University of Florida, is surprisingly simple. The seven-layer screen detects IR with the first few layers. This signal is amplified and then the remaining layers are used to output the image as visible light, albeit with the tell-tale greenish glow. The maximum voltage required is five volts, compared to thousands in regular night-vision goggles, so it could easily be powered with a small, lightweight battery.
Night vision specs are the coolest application, but there are also more practical uses. Cellphones could take shots at night, and car windshields could let drivers see into the murky night away from the beam of the headlamps.
Talking to Discovery, So said that his team plans to create heat-detecting displays, too. He cites medical uses, but heat-sensing, night-vision glasses are obviously good for something way better: chasing down Arnie in the jungle.
Night Vision Coming Soon to Cell Phones, Eyeglasses [Discovery]
Night vision photo: diveofficer/Flickr
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