Yes, DARPA does have a reputation for coming up with some seriously far-fetched gadgets, but their Super-Resolution Vision System (SRVS) is not one of them. This project challenges designers to come up with an optics system that utilises heat haze to see further and clearer than ever before. Basically, it takes advantage of an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs whereby images can be magnified for fleeting moments behind the haze.
The Gadget: National Geographic are launching a night vision scope that has the ability to take still pictures. The NV20/20 will have a user variable frame rate, three infrared intelligence modes and it will be able to amplify ambient light by a factor of 650. The scope will ship in April and retail at $US520.
What you are looking at is a mirror made of ionic liquid, infrared-reflecting silver nanoparticles mixed with a “highly viscous salty liquid called imidazolium ethylsulphate” or Bob for his closest friends. It’s going to be used for the Lunar Liquid Mirror Telescope, something that wasn’t possible until now for several reasons. More »
Stop popping your head up out of your cube like a prairie dog when you can covertly extend your Cubicle Periscope, keeping tabs on your scheming office mates and becoming a master of workplace intrigue. Sure, we’ve seen cubescopes before, but this one takes on a new level of sophistication, with its 5x zoom and 15-22 inch height range.
The picture above has us scratching our heads—doesn’t the guy realize we can see him through the glass? Yeah, that’s see-through glass, buddy. And that little notation about “smells cookies” on the left might reveal exactly what it is he’s looking for.
galleryPost('cubescope', 4, 'Cubicle Periscope'); More »
