Australia : Invention of night vision lenses that can be attached to glasses

Australian scientists have found an innovative, cheap way to make regular glasses effective in the dark, using lightweight night vision lenses.

Researchers in Australia are looking to make night vision more accessible by doing away with bulky, expensive lens attachments. The technology could be further developed, the scientists say, into a night vision film weighing less than a gram that could be worn over regular contact lenses.

It is noteworthy that traditional night vision technology relies on a complex mechanism that includes passing photons through a lens and directing them to an electronic image intensifier tube, which consists of two main components. Firstly, there is the photocathode, which first converts photons into electrons, which are then directed to a small channel plate (consisting of millions of small holes) to increase the number of electrons generated. These electrons pass through a phosphorescent screen where they are converted back into photons. When it comes into contact with the screen, it emits a green glow, illuminating a scene that can be seen through a night vision device.

The Australian researchers used a technique that makes photons pass through a resonant surface, where they are mixed with the pump beam. The surface, made of lithium niobate, increases the energy of the photons and brings them into the visible light spectrum. This does not require the cooling found in classic night vision devices.

The technology also combines visible light with invisible light (infrared) into one image when you look through the lens, creating a better picture of what's happening in the dark. So you can even read in the dark with these lenses.