From now on you can see in the dark like day! All you need are glasses

Imagine putting on a pair of lightweight glasses and seeing in the dark as clear as day.
This could soon become a reality thanks to groundbreaking research from the ARC Center of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) in Australia.

Scientists have developed an ultra-thin film, or tape-thin lens, that could turn night vision into a practical everyday activity. The TMOS team is dedicated to making night vision affordable and wearable, moving away from the bulky and expensive headsets traditionally associated with the technology.

Their innovative approach enables complex light processing along a simpler, narrower path, enabling the creation of a night vision film that weighs less than 1g and can be applied to standard eyeglass frames.

Countless applications

This advance could revolutionize nighttime activities, offering improved safety and comfort. From nighttime dog walks to enhanced nighttime driving, the possible applications are vast and varied.

The breakthrough was achieved using metasurface-based conversion technology. The nonlocal metasurface of lithium niobate boosts the energy of photons and moves them into the visible light spectrum, rather than converting them to electrons. This eliminates the need for cryogenic cooling, which traditional night vision systems rely on to reduce image noise.

“These results promise significant opportunities for the surveillance, autonomous navigation and biological imaging industries.” Reducing the size, mass and power requirements of night vision technology demonstrates the importance of meta-optics in the miniaturization of future technologies,” explains Dragomir Neshev, principal researcher at TMOS.
The new technology captures both visible and invisible (infrared) light in one image. Traditional systems capture comparative views of each spectrum, often resulting in lower quality images. This innovation offers a clearer and better view in low light conditions.

Pushing the boundaries

“This is the first demonstration of high-resolution image conversion from 1550 nm infrared light to 550 nm visible light in a non-local metasurface,” explains Rocio Camacho Morales, author of the study and adds:
We chose these wavelengths because 1550 nm, infrared light, is commonly used in telecommunications, and 550 nm is well visible to the human eye. Future research will aim to extend the device’s sensitivity range for wider IR imaging and explore advanced image processing techniques.”
“Infrared-to-visible light conversion with high efficiency was thought to be impossible due to the angular loss inherent in nonlocal metasurfaces. We have overcome these limitations and experimentally demonstrated high image conversion efficiency,” concludes Laura Valencia Molina, lead author of the study.
With this technology, TMOS researchers are not only pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, but also paving the way for practical, everyday applications of night vision, promising a future where navigating in the dark could be as simple as wearing glasses.