Military Gadgets
Battling in the Dark
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The human eye is naturally limited at seeing in the dark. It can detect shapes only faintly
and see them only in shades of gray. Modern image enhancement technology allows us
to overcome some of these limitations to improve night vision. Image intensifiers are used
in a variety of situations, from security and military applications to wildlife monitoring and
search-and-rescue operations.
Knowing the Darkness
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Device that allow the user to see in poor lighting conditions fall into one of two categories.
Image identifiers collect what little visible light may be available and then amplify it many
thousands of times to produce a bright image on screen, while thermal image transform
the invisible infrared (heat) radiation that many objects emit even in the dark into visible light.
Intensifiers are able to work only in clear conditions, when there is no obscuring fog, mist, or
smoke. Thermal images, by contrast, can see warm objects, such as people, through others,
cooler materials, such as solid walls or rubble. Image intensifiers are often fitted with an
infrared floodlight to illuminate the scene. They can amplify the reflected infrared in the same
way as normal light.
