Will our glasses soon be equipped with a discreet night vision filter?

Researchers at TMOS (Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems) in Australia have developed a new night vision technology. They have created an infrared filter so thin it could be integrated into everyday glasses, allowing the user to see both the visible and infrared spectrum simultaneously.


Traditionally, night vision has been reserved for the military, hunters, and photographers due to the weight and bulk of the equipment. These devices use a complex mechanism where infrared photons are converted into electrons, amplified, and then reconverted into visible photons. These systems are not only heavy but also require cryogenic cooling to avoid thermal noise.

The new technology developed by TMOS uses a non-local lithium niobate metasurface for photon upconversion. Photons pass through a resonant metasurface where they are mixed with a pump beam, increasing their energy and converting them directly into visible light without an intermediate electron step. This process works at room temperature, eliminating the need for bulky cooling systems.

This simplified approach allows for significant miniaturization of the night vision device. The new filter weighs less than one gram and can be applied as a film on ordinary glasses. Laura Valencia Molina, one of the authors of the study, emphasizes that this innovation overcomes previous limitations of angular loss inherent to non-local metasurfaces, enabling high-efficiency upconversion of 1550 nm infrared light into 550 nm visible light.

This innovation opens the door to various applications. Night vision glasses for the general public could enhance safety during nighttime driving, walks, or work in low-light conditions, without the need for cumbersome equipment. By simultaneously capturing visible and invisible light in a single image, this technology offers a better-quality view in darkness.