Researchers devise a full-color night vision goggle
A team at Beijing Institute of Technology developed night vision goggles that translate infrared wavelengths into distinct visible colors, providing a more natural visual experience.
Human eyes cannot detect infrared light because infrared photons lack sufficient energy to trigger the signaling pathway in light-sensing cells. Traditional night vision goggles translate infrared radiation into visible green shades. Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology, led by Xin Tang and Ge Mu, developed a device that translates different infrared wavelengths into distinct visible colors, providing a more natural visual representation. The device uses mercury telluride colloidal quantum dots to absorb infrared light and a dual-layer OLED to convert the absorbed energy into visible color. When stacked with proper internal wiring, the device outputs full-color images from incoming infrared radiation, allowing users to see infrared in a way closer to natural vision.