Compact optical screen could pave the way for cheaper infrared cameras
New research led by the ARC Center of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) at the University of Melbourne demonstrates a new way to make invisible infrared light visible without relying on the expensive detector technology used in today's infrared cameras.
Researchers from the ARC Center of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) at the University of Melbourne have developed a compact optical screen that could make infrared cameras cheaper and more accessible. Infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, is used in various applications such as environmental monitoring, industrial inspection, medicine, and security.
However, current infrared cameras are expensive due to the use of specialized detectors that require cooling and are costly to manufacture. The new optical screen converts invisible infrared light into visible light, making the image more than 1,000 times brighter while maintaining sharpness, a significant improvement over previous methods.
The metasurface, coated with tiny particles made of rare-earth materials, absorbs infrared light and re-emits it as visible light, offering a more cost-effective and compact solution for infrared imaging.
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