Night Vision

Last year, Duovox launched a Kickstarter for a compact full-color night-vision camera built around a custom Sony sensor. Now the startup has returned to the platform with a military-grade monocular rocking full color and IR night vision capabilities.

Startup Duovox has launched a compact night vision camera with a custom Sony sensor and advanced algorithms at its heart that effectively turn night into day, bringing the full color experience to after-dark hikes in the mountains.

Scientists at the Australian National University (ANU) have developed a new type of night-vision technology that is the first of its kind, taking the shape of an ultra-thin film that can be applied directly to glasses.

DARPA is starting a program to develop a new multispectral Enhanced Night Vision (ENVision) system for the military that replaces today's heavy night-vision goggles with ones that are as light and compact as a pair of eyeglasses.

​Sci-fi aficionados will likely be familiar with the 2000 film Pitch Black, in which Vin Diesel plays a character with predator-like night vision. Well, such a scenario has come a step closer to reality, as scientists have enabled mice to temporarily see near-infrared (NIR) light.

A thermal imaging system being developed for the US Army Laboratory uses polarized infrared light to reveal details like facial features. The technology will allow soldiers to pick out details even in total darkness, such as tripwires, booby traps, buried landmines, and mortars and UAVs in flight.

​In the movie "Predator," Arnold Schwarzenegger hid from an alien's night vision system by covering himself in mud. He might have found things much easier, however, if he'd had access to a newly-developed thermal camouflage material.

The US Army and US Marine Corps are fielding two different night vision systems that provide better depth perception and add thermal imaging to image intensification technology that will give soldiers clearer night vision even when dealing with overgrown areas.

​Night vision goggles help the human eye see in the dark, but the devices are bulky, requiring several layers of lenses and plenty of power. But thanks to research from ANU, a new type of nanocrystal could grant night vision powers to a standard pair of specs, without adding any weight.​

Yet another entry into the ever-expanding home security system field is the CleverLoop, which comes in a variety of configurations and is aimed at renters and small businesses. We recently got hold of one and put it through its paces.

In recent years, home security systems have become cheaper while adding more functionality. San Francisco-based startup Angee Inc. is looking to take things a bit further by adding some computer smarts to create an automated security system that is portable and doubles as a personal assistant.

BAE Systems is developing a combination night vision and thermal imaging system that not only allows soldiers to rapidly acquire and engage targets in all weather and lighting, but also to remotely aim their weapons without looking through the sights.