Australian scientists are at it again. This time researchers at The Australian National University have worked out a way to improve night vision googles – by designing a nano crystal, 500 times smaller than a human hair, that turns darkness into visible light and fits right on regular lenses.
Basically, they have invented reverse sunglasses.
The new discovery could mean the end for the “cumbersome and bulky” binoculars we are currently using to see at night, Professor Dragomir Neshev from ANU said, by fitting the crystals an an ultra-thin film to regular eye glasses.
The crystals could also be used in as anti-counterfeit devices in bank notes, imaging cells for medical applications and holograms.
The research team’s decision to build the device on glass not only makes it more useful for a number of applications, it also represents the first time anyone has been able to achieve it – it’s super hard to do.
Far from an overnight success, this is the culmination of more than 15 years of research.