See in the dark, but without the need for bulky views or battery -powered devices. This is the incredible possibility offered by a new type of Infrared contact lensestransparent, light and absolutely non -invasive. To develop them was an international group of neuroscientists and scientists of the materials, which has just published the study on the prestigious magazine Cell.
Unlike the current technology used for night vision – which often involves the use of heavy glasses powered by batteries – These new lenses succeed in transform the infrared light into visible lightallowing those who wear them to perceive the invisible. And the even more surprising thing? They work even with closed eyes.
The secret is in nanoparticles:
The heart of this innovation lies in one particular class of nanoparticles which, integrated within flexible and safe materials already used in common contact lenses, are able to absorb the light into the infrared nearby (between 800 and 1600 nanometers) and convert it into wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers, or in the range perceivable by the human eye.
In the past, the team had shown that these same nanoparticles could donate infrared to the mice, but through an injection in the retina. With the new lenses, the approach finally becomes wearable and non -invasiveopening up completely unpublished application scenarios, from personal safety to wearable technologies for rescue, up to communication through invisible bright signals.
The researchers tested human volunteers. The results were impressive: have experienced real visual signalslike the flashing of signals similar to the Morse code or the possibility of recognizing the direction from which the light came. All without distorting the vision of natural light.
And, surprisingly, The perception was even more clear with closed eyes. The reason? The light in the infrared nearby penetrates better through the eyelids than visible light, reducing visual interference.
The color vision of the Afraoxy and the applications for the Daltonics
Another goal achieved by the team is the ability to differentiate the different wavelengths of infrared light through a chromatic coding: visible red is used to represent the wavelength of 1532 Nm, the green for the 808 Nm and the blue for the 980 Nm one.
This technology could also help those who are suffering from Daltonismmaking visible frequencies that are normally not perceived. As explained by the neuroscientist Tian Xue, senior author of the study:
By converting the red light into a green shade, we can transform into visible what remains invisible today for those with defects in the perception of colors.
Nanoparticles glasses also arrive for a high resolution vision
There is only one limit, for now: the images resolution Obtained with lenses it is quite low, due to their proximity to the retina which causes luminous dispersion. For this reason, the researchers also made A version wearable in glassesalways based on the nanoparticles themselves, but capable of offering much more detailed infrared images.
At the moment, the lenses are able to detect only the infrared light generated by LED sourcesbut the team is working for Improve the sensitivity of nanoparticlesso as to make them capable of detecting even less powerful sources. The goal? A lens capable of “seeing” truly in the most total darkness, without any external support.
We are only at the beginning, but thanks to the collaboration with the optical and scientists of the materials, we could soon have even more sensitive and precise contact lenses, ready for daily practical applications.
