Infrared Micro Lens? Great news for those who are engaged with night surveillance and monitoring of sensitive targets… but the news are bad for those who hope that darkness might help them hide their activities, especially if they are illegal, from prying eyes.
In fact, a research team from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York State, is at work on a micro lens which might help in the creation of high power satellite cameras and night vision devices.
All About The New Infrared Micro Lens
In order to augment the sensitivity to infrared micro lens, researchers have been using a set of nanotubes coated with gold; thanks to the nanotubes’ capability of focusing the light which is picked up by the infrared detector, the normal sensitivity is doubled; by applying further modifications and improvement to the system, made up of myriads of gold-plated tiny holes, the researchers’ goal is to multiply the lenses’ sensitivity up to 20 times when compared to systems currently in use.
By applying this technology to satellite imaging systems, there would be benefits not only in satellite monitoring of military targets or sensitive areas, but also In scientific research, for example to keep under control the health level of our forests and, on a larger scale, to monitor climate changes.
In the video surveillance field, the benefits in terms of performance are immediate, as surveillance operations would find a new tool capable of dramatically improving the current night vision systems’ performance, providing absolute reliability to an evidence or intelligence gathering operation in low lighting conditions.
Furthermore, this technology might be put to good use in the military field, giving soldiers on a night mission on hostile areas or rough terrain one more device to easily detect hidden enemies.