Latest news with #nightvision
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scientists create night-vision contact lenses that even work with your eyes closed
Scientists have developed contact lenses that allow people to see in the dark, and even work better when people have their eyes closed. Unlike night vision goggles, these lenses do not require a power source and allow the wearer to perceive a range of infrared wavelengths, and researchers say they could give people 'super-vision'. Professor Tian Xue, from the University of Science and Technology in China, said: 'Our research opens up the potential for non-invasive wearable devices, and there are many potential applications right away. 'For example, flickering infrared light could be used to transmit information in security, rescue, encryption or anti-counterfeiting settings.' Humans can see a range of light waves called the visible light spectrum, which encompasses wavelengths from around 380 to 700 nanometers. The contact lens technology uses nanoparticles that absorb light we cannot see and converts it into wavelengths that are visible. These nanoparticles specifically enable detection of 'near-infrared light', which is infrared light in the 800-1600 nanometer range - just beyond what humans can already see. The team previously showed that these nanoparticles enable infrared vision in mice when injected into the retina, but they wanted to design a less invasive option. To create the contact lenses, they combined the nanoparticles with flexible, non-toxic polymers that are used in standard soft contact lenses. Tests showed that the contact lenses allowed humans to accurately detect flashing morse code-like infrared signals in pitch blackness. They could even see better when they had their eyes closed, as it blocked out any interference from light on the normal visibility spectrum. 'It's totally clear cut: without the contact lenses, the subject cannot see anything, but when they put them on, they can clearly see the flickering of the infrared light,' Professor Xue said. 'We also found that when the subject closes their eyes, they're even better able to receive this flickering information. 'This is because near-infrared light penetrates the eyelid more effectively than visible light, so there is less interference from visible light.' An additional tweak to the contact lenses meant the nanoparticles could color-code different infrared wavelengths. For example, infrared wavelengths of 980 nanometers were converted to blue light, wavelengths of 808 nanometers were converted to green light, and wavelengths of 1,532 nanometers were converted to red light. This allowed wearers to perceive more detail in what they were seeing. It could also one day help colorblind people see wavelengths that they would otherwise be unable to detect, the researchers said. 'By converting red visible light into something like green visible light, this technology could make the invisible visible for colorblind people,' Professor Xue said. Currently, the contact lenses are only able to detect infrared radiation projected from an LED light source, but the researchers are working to increase the nanoparticles' sensitivity so that they can detect lower levels of infrared light. 'In the future, by working together with materials scientists and optical experts, we hope to make a contact lens with more precise spatial resolution and higher sensitivity,' Professor Xue said. Writing in the journal Cell the team said: 'Light plays a particularly essential role in conveying a significant amount of external information for living organisms to comprehend the world. 'However, mammals can only perceive a small fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum as visible light. 'This means that over half of the solar radiation energy, existing as infrared light, remains imperceptible to mammals. 'Here, we report wearable near-infrared up-conversion contact lenses with suitable optical properties…flexibility and biocompatibility. 'Humans wearing [the contact lenses] could accurately detect near-infrared temporal information like Morse code and discriminate near-infrared pattern images. 'Interestingly, humans with [the contact lenses] exhibited better discrimination of near-infrared light compared with visible light when their eyes were closed.'
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Revolutionary new contact lenses offer a look into the future
Scientists in China have developed "night vision" contact lenses using nanoparticles. These nanoparticles convert infrared light into visible wavelengths, enabling the wearer to see in the dark. Unlike night vision goggles, these lenses are self-powered and function even when the wearer's eyes are closed. Tests on mice and humans confirmed the lenses' functionality, with subjects able to detect infrared light signals. Researchers aim to enhance sensitivity and explore applications for security, rescue, and aiding color-blind individuals.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
New ‘night vision' contact lenses will allow wearers to see in the dark
Put down those carrots - scientists have created infrared contact lenses which allow wearers to see in the dark, and even with their eyes closed. The lenses, created by scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China, use nanoparticles to absorb infrared light and convert it into wavelengths visible to the human eye. Unlike night vision goggles, the contact lenses do not require a power source, and the effect works even when a wearer's eyes are closed. 'Our research opens up the potential for non-invasive wearable devices to give people super-vision,' says senior author Tian Xue, a neuroscientist at the University of Science and Technology of China. 'There are many potential applications right away for this material. For example, flickering infrared light could be used to transmit information in security, rescue, encryption or anti-counterfeiting settings.' The research, published in the scientific journal Cell, explained how scientists combined the nanoparticles with flexible, non-toxic polymers that are used in standard soft contact lenses. After showing that the contact lenses were non-toxic, they tested their function in both humans and mice. When mice were given a choice of a dark box and an infrared-illuminated box, the behaviour of the contact-lens wearing animals suggested they could see the infrared wavelengths as they chose the dark box, whereas mice without the lenses showed no preference. In humans, researchers said infrared contact lenses enabled participants to detect flashing signals and to perceive the direction of incoming infrared light. 'It's totally clear cut: without the contact lenses, the subject cannot see anything, but when they put them on, they can clearly see the flickering of the infrared light,' said Mr Xue. 'We also found that when the subject closes their eyes, they're even better able to receive this flickering information, because near-infrared light penetrates the eyelid more effectively than visible light, so there is less interference from visible light.' The researchers also said they could alter the nanoparticles to convert different light wavelengths into different colours, allowing colour-blind people to see colour again. Currently, the contact lenses only allow wearers to see radiation projected from an LED light source, but the researchers are working to increase the nanoparticles' sensitivity so they can see even lower levels of infrared light. 'By converting red visible light into something like green visible light, this technology could make the invisible visible for colour blind people,' said Mr Xue. 'In the future, by working together with materials scientists and optical experts, we hope to make a contact lens with more precise spatial resolution and higher sensitivity.'
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Infrared contact lens helps people see in the dark, even with their eyes closed
Many people have wished for night vision on a dark walk home. But have you ever wondered if it's possible to see with your eyes closed? Both are feasible with a contact lens that allows the wearer to see light that's usually invisible to our eyes — and can pass through our eyelids. The infrared lens, which was developed by researchers in China, was unveiled in the journal Cell today. Tian Xue, a neuroscientist at the University of Science and Technology of China and study co-author, said the material had the potential to give people "super-vision". But in the shorter term, the team's ambitions are more modest. "Flickering infrared light could be used to transmit information in security, rescue, encryption or anti-counterfeiting settings," Professor Xue said in a press release. Our eye cells only register light in a small proportion of the electromagnetic spectrum. If we could see longer wavelengths — just outside the visible spectrum into the near-infrared — we'd be able to see humans and other warm-blooded animals "glow" faintly as they emit infrared light. Devices like night-vision goggles often work by tuning into near-infrared wavelengths, sometimes accompanied by an infrared light source to illuminate the surrounding area. But these devices usually need an external power source to work, making them bulky. They also tend to have a very limited of field of view, according to Paul Martin, a researcher in ophthalmology at the University of Sydney. While it's possible to buy "infrared" contact lenses online, typically marketed for cheating at card games, these lenses don't allow users to see infrared light. Instead, Professor Martin said they filter out higher wavelengths of light to make it easier to see light at a desired wavelength — usually, one tuned to an invisible ink sold with the contact lenses. Researchers around the world, including in Australia, have been working on less cumbersome materials that can perform "wavelength shifting": absorbing invisible infrared light and re-emitting it as light we can see. The researchers behind the new study had previously developed particles roughly the size of a small virus by mixing gold atoms with a few other elements, including the metals ytterbium and erbium. The team injected these particles into the eyes of mice and found it gave them infrared vision. But they wanted to make the process less invasive before testing it on humans. In the newest study, the researchers mixed their nanoparticles with polymers used in commercial contact lenses, and moulded this mixture into contacts. They found people wearing the contact lenses could see visible light as normal. But they could also see a flashing infrared light — even when their eyes were shut. Our eyelids have evolved to block visible light, but infrared light can pass right through them. In fact, Professor Xue said participants were better at detecting the infrared flashes when their eyes were shut, because there was less interference from visible light. The researchers could tweak their nanoparticles to convert specific infrared wavelengths into specific visible wavelengths, so the participants could see different shades of infrared light in different visible colours. They tested this by showing the study participants different letters made from infrared light, which the participants could read in different colours. Professor Martin, who was not involved with the research, called the study a "marvellous technical tour de force". "One big and exciting promise of the present study is that the contact lenses or glasses could become a new basis for human-worn surveillance devices." While the research is promising, Professor Martin believes these contact lenses are a long way away from practical use. People using the lenses could see infrared light, but they weren't granted fine night vision. The researchers did build their nanoparticles into wearable spectacles, which gave people crisper infrared vision, but they still needed a bright source of infrared light for the glasses to work. "The nanoparticles in the contact lens or glasses are not sensitive enough to detect the very low intensity of infrared radiation emitted by warm-blooded animals," Professor Martin said. Professor Xue said that the team was working on improving the nanoparticles' sensitivity so that they could make higher-resolution contact lenses.
Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
‘Night vision' contact lenses will allow people to see in the dark
Contact lenses that allow people to see in the dark have been invented by Chinese scientists. The invention allows people to see infrared light, which is normally invisible to the human eye, and converts the wavelength so it can be detected. Experiments on humans proved that wearers could reliably see flashing lights in the infrared light range, which is similar to the type of light emitted by TV remote controls. Other experiments indicated that mice wearing the contact lenses demonstrated improved vision in the dark compared to their regular sight. The technology uses the same principle as night vision goggles which capture infrared light – which is emitted by heat. But unlike night vision goggles, the contact lenses do not require a power source. They work by converting the infrared light so that it can be seen by the wearer as either red, green or blue light. Studies on mice found the contact lens, a standard off-the-shelf product fitted with a bespoke thin layer of infrared-slowing nanoparticles, was safe and viable before it was tested on humans. Prof Tian Xue, the study author and a neuroscientist at the University of Science and Technology of China said: 'It's totally clear cut – without the contact lenses, the subject cannot see anything, but when they put them on, they can clearly see the flickering of the infrared light.' The human tests also found that the gadget is almost four times more effective at spotting infrared light when a person closes their eyes because the eyelid helps shut out light that is visible to the human eye and reduces interference. The inventors are now hoping to develop their product to help people with colour blindness as well as investigating the potential for night vision. The prototype is only strong enough to detect bright bursts of infrared light and is not potent enough to pick up on weaker sources, such as body heat. But future work will try and make them more powerful, to allow for improved nocturnal sight. Prof Xue said: 'Our research opens up the potential for non-invasive wearable devices to give people super-vision. 'There are many potential applications right away for this material. For example, flickering infrared light could be used to transmit information in security, rescue, encryption or anti-counterfeiting settings. 'In the future, by working together with materials scientists and optical experts, we hope to make a contact lens with more precise spatial resolution and higher sensitivity.' The study is published in the journal Cell.
