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from the but-don't-look-into-the-light dept.
Night vision goggles do a great job of countering the human eye's poor ability to see in the dark, but the devices are usually bulky, requiring several layers of lenses and plenty of power. But thanks to research from the Australian National University (ANU), a new type of nanocrystal could grant night vision powers to a standard pair of specs, without adding any weight.
Darkness, as we perceive it, is the absence of light on the visible spectrum that our eyes can detect, but there's still plenty of light at other frequencies that we can't use. Night vision goggles make use of the near-infrared spectrum, and convert the photons from that light into electrons that light up a phosphor screen inside the device to create the image. But all that makes for a chunky, power-hungry device.
The ANU team's nanocrystal can be used to create night vision devices that forgo electricity completely, by converting incoming photons from infrared light into other photons on the visible spectrum, to allow the human eye to see in the dark.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Capt. Obvious on Thursday December 08 2016, @04:47PM
Polarizing glasses work. They shouldn't be sunglasses (it's night), and that will naturally cut about 1/2 the light you see. But it should cut like 90+% of the glare. You make the call for if that is a good tradeoff. But, I tend to think even at 50%, what with headlights and all, you'll still be safer with polarizing glasses. Esp. with the ability to widen your eyes when it's dark.
I don't recall why polarizing filters cut glare, but they work.
A lot of offerings [amazon.com] for such glasses combine it with a yellow filter to try to make the less light you see feel brighter. And, there are perscription options for under $20 [zennioptical.com].
Or even just try attaching a polarizing film to some old glasses (or holding in front of your face.)
Kinda obviously, do all this while a passenger.