Future Tech: OLED Breakthrough Could Provide Cheap Night Vision For Cars
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Night vision systems are already available in the higher-end luxury sedans from companies like Toyota, Volvo, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but it's expensive technology that few drivers can afford. There are currently aftermarket night-vision systems available as well, such as the FLIR PathFindIR, but at $4,000 for the system without a display, it's a pricey upgrade. That may all change soon, as Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funded scientists at the University of Florida have developed a cheap way to turn any infrared light into visible light with a thin film.
The film is based on the same technology in the latest Organic LED (OLED) TV and phone displays, and its thinness could make it suitable for use in things like automobile windshields. That in itself could be a huge breakthrough, enabling the overlay of objects and obstacles that would otherwise be invisible in the dark directly onto the driver's field of vision--a huge benefit to safety.
Instead of using the heavy, bulky vacuum tubes found in conventional night-vision devices, the new thin-film system uses layers of OLEDs to receive and convert infrared light into the visible spectrum. It runs on much lower voltages--just three to five volts--making it more energy-efficient as well. The result is a monochromatic green-tinted view of the area in front of it.
So far they've only managed to make a tiny 1-square-centimeter example, but due to the OLED technology underpinning it, it should be scalable to much larger sizes--and the scientists behind the discovery think they can do it within 18 months. Get ready for the night-vision revolution.
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By r4i sdhc Posted: 4/29/2010 12:22am PDT
By iamhassi Posted: 4/29/2010 1:42pm PDT
theautochannel.com :
"on the DTS, and options include a better-than-average navigation system and the "Night Vision" system, which features the first civilian use of infrared thermal-imaging technology to allow the driver to better see pedestrians and animals along the road at night.... A DTS with Night Vision has been my transportation for the past week. It has been an interesting week, with more night driving than usual.... Night Vision really does work."
If the author can't bother to get their facts straight I can't be bothered to read their article. Author completely left out the Cadillac which is plain wrong considering they were one of the first to offer it and it showed up in many popular reviews. Instead, they gave all the credit to German and Asian manufactures for introducing systems either many years later or offering concept cars with night vision
Good catch on Cadillac, it wasn't excluded out of malice--there's simply a lot of tech to keep up with. And Cadillac hasn't had night vision on its cars since 2004, so while they did innovate, they didn't keep up with it.
By WML Posted: 4/29/2010 8:57pm PDT
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Cheap Car Direct
By freemanchen Posted: 10/25/2010 7:36am PDT
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