The modern world gives people many privileges and advantages. Progress has been plodding, but at the same time, it is a highly significant process.
However, all the modernizations we know today, the technologies we use, were given to mankind with sweat and blood over centuries. When there was a need for something, people created it. And then everything that was created underwent rapid development. It is difficult to say which of these stages was more difficult. However, nowadays, a large amount of information and the speed of communication allows the world to engage in extraordinary developments that can change the world.
Thus, less than a century ago, the first technologies appeared that allowed us to improve the capabilities of human vision - to see and navigate better in the dark. We are talking about night vision devices, of course. Thermal imagers are also a relatively young development, appearing a little later. However, the main thing for us is the following. Compared to many devices, these two technologies are very young. But the opportunities they provide are already impressive. And what will happen next, what upgrades they will undergo, and how much the scope of their use will expand - it is only a matter of time. And it is worth emphasizing that this development will be more rapid now.
The history of night vision devices
To understand the rapid development of any device and what improvements it may undergo in the future, let's first look back in time. How this device was created and how it has been improved over time
The Hungarian physicist Kalman Tihanyi is the man who first discovered the technology behind night vision devices. In 1929, he invented the infrared electronic television camera. At that time, it was created for the air defense of the United Kingdom. Later, it is known that in the 1940s, German troops used night vision devices in the dark to distinguish between snipers and military vehicles. But at that time, the devices needed infrared illumination to allow soldiers to see anything. The technology was significantly improved in the 1960s for the US Army. Then, the military received more advanced devices. Since then, all subsequent generations of the NVDs have worked based on infrared reflection from heat sources, which was amplified and converted into an image of the visible spectrum.
The principle of the device was based on the fact that it captures any light, for example, from the moon, and passes it through a photocathode. The photocathode, in turn, converts photons (light) into electrons. These electrons then "strike" a tube coated with fluorescent phosphor, and an image is reproduced.
Usually, the tube is filled with green phosphor, which is why the image is greenish. The fact is that the human eye is susceptible to wavelengths of light of this color. In addition, studies have shown that people can easily distinguish between images in which it is used. However, NVDs on the market already illuminate objects and people using white phosphors. This technology has made the picture more detailed and contrasty (we'll discuss it later). This is not surprising, as the technology has improved significantly over the past 90 years, and today, manufacturers of night vision devices offer gadgets of different generations.
Nevertheless, the Germans were the first to achieve significant results in developing this technology. As early as 1939, the German army had the first samples of the NVD. It is believed that by the end of the Second World War, the Germans had at least 1,000 devices in service, including 50 stationary NVDs for Panther tanks and 310 portable Vampire systems for Wehrmacht infantrymen. There is a historical hypothesis that during the attack on Berlin, the Soviet army used powerful searchlights to blind the enemy. But as a result of this maneuver, night vision devices were disabled.
After the Second World War, Western scientists and Soviet physicists picked up the development of this technology, which gave advantages in night battles and conditions of poor visibility (fog, cloudy weather, blizzards, heavy rain). Thus, by the mid-1950s, a breakthrough was made when Soviet developers introduced the NSP-2 night sight, which could be mounted on the Kalashnikov rifle, Degtyarev machine gun, RPG-2 anti-tank grenade launcher, and other weapons. The achievement was the miniaturization of the NVDs. The total weight of the kit, which was part of the equipment, was 16 kg, and the importance of the sight in the combat position was 4.9 kg. NSP-2 was supplied to the Warsaw Pact countries.
In the 1970s, engineers working for the American company Optical Magnification could amplify light by 20,000 times, making the image more transparent. This was a new step in the development of the technology, after which the second generation of devices—sights and night vision goggles—began to be produced in large quantities. In addition, they became even more compact and portable.
The history of thermal imagers
Today, thermal imagers are high-tech equipment that converts infrared radiation from objects into a heat map on the device's display. The basis of a thermal imager is a matrix. Thanks to it, infrared radiation, invisible to humans, is captured.
Light is a wave in the electromagnetic spectrum. Depending on the energy this wave is saturated, it has a different frequency, corresponding to a different color temperature. For example, red means the least power, and blue represents the most. As the energy reserves of a wave decrease, its length increases. This is why the visible color of light turns from yellow to light red and then to a more saturated shade. After that, the photon energy is not enough to activate the visual cells in the retina. A person no longer sees light, but this does not mean it is not there. Its waves have moved to the infrared spectrum. It is in this spectrum that the thermal imager operates.
Prototypes of this device technology were invented in the 20s of the last century. The first thermal imager is an evaporograph (1920), a thin sheet of paper moistened with alcohol (oil, camphor), on one side of which, covered with soot, a thermal image of an object was obtained. Due to the uneven evaporation of alcohol, a visible thermal image is formed. During the Second World War, Germany and the United States developed improved versions of evaporographs, which were classified as non-scanning thermal imagers. Subsequently, in the second half of the twentieth century, American companies made another thermal imaging breakthrough: Texas Instruments, Hughes Aircraft, and Honeywell. In the 1950s, American scientists working for the military-industrial complex were able to capture the first thermographic image on film in the form of a thermal image.
Later on, the flag of the pioneer in the creation of thermal imaging systems was picked up by an American corporation called FLIR Systems, which also initially focused on the army. Nevertheless, today, the results of developments in the American military-industrial complex are used in most of the primary sectors of the global economy. Modern thermal imaging systems have been improved to the point where they allow a person to visually distinguish between the IR signatures of several objects at once per unit of time.
The difference between night vision devices and thermal imagers
Many people are used to thinking that thermal imagers are night vision devices. However, this is far from the case.
Yes, these two devices help people better navigate the dark, but that's about it.
The main difference between them is the way these technologies work. A CCTV is only capable of amplifying the available light, while a thermal imager creates an image that is generally invisible to our eyes.
Of course, some of the criteria for their classification are somewhat similar. For example, we all understand that when discussing and choosing such devices, we always pay attention to the generation concept. Where generation zero is the start. Of course, the image quality in both cases will be blurry, fuzzy, and inaccurate.
The older the generation, the more advanced technologies and manufacturing methods are incorporated into the development of devices. Thus, GEN 3+ devices will have their characteristics, boasting a digital format, numerous additional functions, detail, zoom, resolution, and more incredible information content.
Nowadays, the term "fourth generation" is often introduced on the market for such devices occasionally. However, this fact still causes some controversy among users, and there are rumors that this is just a marketing ploy. Whether this is true or not, and which classification is more correct, is difficult to determine. In general, we can only agree that using more advanced technologies and new chemical compounds that will improve the parameters and functionality of both devices is a matter of time.
Night vision and thermal imaging in the future
After their introduction, these devices were quickly assimilated into civilian life. Today, they are still used by the military during missions. However, they are also used during hunting by hunters or by nature, reserve wardens, farmers, law enforcement and rescue workers, rescue teams, firefighters, etc. And the only thing we can say for sure is that they will only strengthen their position and use in these areas. The main point of their development will be their general availability. Many models are already distinguished by exemplary performance and a pleasant price for the user.
Secondly, expanding the scope of use Once upon a time, for example, thermal imagers were used exclusively for military purposes (as we have seen from a short history lesson, both technologies have such origins). Today, it is used by firefighters in their practice. It is a handy device for them during rescue operations. It helps them to understand where the dangerous areas of the building are, what is on fire, and to find a person who may be trapped there. They are also used during construction work. Or they can see a problem in a building already built.
Where a water or heat supply pipe has burst, or there are problems with electricity. Or at the initial stages of construction. Of course, large construction companies have been using this technology for a long time, and it is possible that in the future, anyone who plans to build a house will be able to purchase an affordable device with high resolution and detail. Special inspection services may soon be created to check the premises to ensure that they meet the safety and airtightness standards of the building.
It should also be noted that in medicine, there is already a concept called a heatmap, which is used to diagnose serious illnesses. Thanks to this device, you can determine the location of inflammatory processes in the body. Or, on the contrary, to identify areas of the body where blood circulates poorly. This technology will be promoted and improved because it is a quick method of determining the problem and, most importantly, safe. Soon, devices will be created that can accurately and instantly measure the overall temperature of a person's body and more accurately show temperature differences in the organs under investigation. It is also worth noting that not all hospitals have this technology. Therefore, such modernization is also quite possible shortly.
It is also worth talking about the areas of research. Namely, these two devices have proven themselves not only in observing the world around us. We are talking about the study of the deep sea and space.
Despite considerable effort, money, scientific expeditions, and operations, these two areas remain mysteries of our universe. There are depths of the ocean that still cannot be explored. However, at the same time, this is a great challenge to humanity, which a century ago proved that it can make such a scientific breakthrough and dive deeper or rise higher.
Ocean exploration will allow us to study more new forms of organisms or to deny that there is no life below specific indicators. To check minimum temperatures, track the tectonic movements of the Earth's crust, predict possible natural disasters in more detail, study global warming, etc.
Night vision devices and thermal imagers are actively used in studying the solar system. Such devices can help increase space flight safety, improve research work quality, and simplify many complex tasks.
The compiled guides about stars, constellations, planets, and their temperatures are based on the data provided by these devices.
So the overall development trend is quite evident to us. There is a moment when an object is created using the elementary laws of physics and chemistry. Over time, it becomes more complex in design and technology. However, no matter how you slice it, the principles of its operation remain unchanged. Devices only improve over time. For example, a camera. It was created to capture an object. Centuries have passed. Now, there are many digital cameras. They have improved quality, they offer the user more options, they are smaller, more autonomous, easier to use, and they are available on our phones. However, no matter how you slice it, it remains a device that captures a still image. Its rules and design are still based on the same laws that were in place at the beginning of its creation. In addition, it is worth emphasizing that the future of devices lies in individual improvements and how they interact with other devices. If earlier there were only glasses that could enhance people's ability to see in the dark, today such equipment is capable of recording, remote control, connecting to a computer, etc. The same rule applies in this case.
We mentioned that this is a relatively young device. But today is a rapid technological process. This is the era when the most outspoken ideas of science fiction writers are being realized. And the film industry is already sharing its bold statements about the future. And when we think we've explored everything we can, scientists constantly surprise us with discoveries or upgrades.
Who knows? Shortly, people can use prosthetic eyes that can magnify images. More expensive or military models will have night vision functions or be able to detect heat. People will improve their bodies depending on their activities. If you find it hard to imagine this now, we recommend watching the film “Ghost in the Shell.” It is a clear example of an alternative future reality.