Computing

Cheap, High-Quality Night Vision

New infrared technology will deliver military-grade devices at one-tenth the cost.

  • Thursday, June 8, 2006
  • By Kevin Bullis

Fast, high-quality infrared devices are expensive. That's why they've been used mainly in applications such as space imaging and night vision for military helicopter pilots. But now MIT researchers are developing a method for making high-quality infrared devices for one-tenth of the cost, which could eventually lead to widespread use in civilian applications, such as cancer detection and night-vision displays in vehicles.

Relatively low-cost infrared devices are already available to consumers, but these devices are unreliable and tend to produce noisy, low-resolution images that refresh slowly, says Anu Agarwal, a research associate at MIT who manages the infrared project at the institute's Microphotonics Center. High-end devices produce sharp images and video in real time, but need to be cooled with liquid nitrogen, she says, and they're made with expensive materials and specialized tools.

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The new method, which works at room temperature, uses materials that are much less expensive for converting infrared light into electrical signals for displays. Also, the detector can be made with tools similar to those used to make the electronics in the device, eliminating the need for specialized, costly equipment. Indeed, the sensor can be fabricated directly on silicon along with the electronics that read out the signal, which makes it possible to pack more pixels into a given area, increasing resolution, Agarwal says.

As a further benefit, each pixel can sense three or four specific wavelengths of light in either the visible or infrared range. With conventional technology, sensing multiple wavelengths requires using a pixel for each wavelength. Using one pixel for all the colors allows for significantly better resolution, Agarwal says.

Right now, the researchers are focusing on the development of devices that sense light at very specific frequencies. Within each pixel, multiple detector materials are also tuned to respond to specific wavelengths. Using specific wavelengths makes it possible to pinpoint, for example, the temperature of objects or certain substances. Cancerous tumors emit specific infrared wavelengths, for instance, and a detector set to a narrow frequency should be able to identify these against the background of the body's heat, says George Kenney, associate director of the Microphotonics Center. Eventually, this feature could be used by firefighters who need to see light at the wavelengths emitted by a human body, without being distracted by light from fire or other sources, making rescue operations easier.

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Guest (roy)

  • 2077 Days Ago
  • 06/08/2006

how is it done?

why doesnt this article say anything about how the detector works or what material its made from? waste of time reading this

Reply

Guest (jeetendra)

  • 2077 Days Ago
  • 06/08/2006

how is it done

yeah.amen.They say new tech,then explain nothing,then say its available in several years.then its not new tech:its experimental tech.Unless the materials are so easy to develop they dont wanna say a thing to keep rivals at bay...

Reply

Guest (MVD)

  • 2077 Days Ago
  • 06/08/2006

How is it done?

Sorry people, but I'm going to sympathize with the article writers on this one.  I mean, it is pretty much an assumption that any time you are discussing emerging technologies there are non-disclosure issues at hand.

I believe the intent is to wet our appetite for the possibilities of what await us - and, yes, many of these possibilities are still years from practical application.

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Guest (Rene)

  • 2076 Days Ago
  • 06/09/2006

How is it done?

I too am skeptical. Current devices on the market are rarely LN2 cooled. Some are cyrogenically cooled, others are uncooled. Some work at video rates or faster, have excellent resolution and sensitivity and are relatively low cost. Unfortunately, the article doesn't mention the spectral band for the new technology. (Infrared covers a fairly expansive wavelength range). The article lacks any useful information and does little to whet the appetite of an informed prospective user.
(But that's just my opinion).

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Guest (Count Zero)

  • 2067 Days Ago
  • 06/18/2006

The article would have fitted well on only one page. Paragraphs repeat the same idea over and over again... I wish also, a little more on the expected specifications of the system would have been revealed. IR cameras are not all LN2 cooled (thanks Rene). I wonder just how worthwhile it was to publish this one. Maybe you should've waited a little more, until the project grows up a little...

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Guest (Wintermute)

  • 2050 Days Ago
  • 07/05/2006

How it's done...

With pixie dust!

How's the Microphotonics Center supposed to get funding if their own institution's journal doesn't write fluff pieces about the magic going on behind closed doors.

I believe an alien race of dread-locked "predators" have already patented this technology...

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Guest (Ben)

  • 2076 Days Ago
  • 06/09/2006

Amen to the first two posts

It's "whet"

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Guest (chapprg1)

  • 2076 Days Ago
  • 06/09/2006

How could it be done?

Silicon does not respond at thermal wavelengths.

Reply

Guest (GG)

  • 2072 Days Ago
  • 06/13/2006

me too :))

I also developed a cure for cancer, but I'm not going to tell you :)  bullsh*t article!!!!

Reply

Guest (mint)

  • 2022 Days Ago
  • 08/02/2006

rene

well put rene

Reply

mmclough

1 Comment

  • 2002 Days Ago
  • 08/22/2006

Darn Right

I agree, the article is totally pointless, regardless of non-disclosure.  If you are going to be that vague, just post some sidenote, not an entire article. 

On a different note, some companies are doing some impressive things with IR technology.  Imagine the possiblities.
http://www.universaldisplay.com/press-2006-1-9.htm

Reply

romuri

1 Comment

  • 312 Days Ago
  • 04/08/2011

Get a cheap p.c camera , remove the lens , in the back of the lens there is an I.R filter - remove , reasemble camera .... viola you have an I.R cabebal camera !!!!

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