A series of coated lenses can allow people to see ultraviolet light superimposed onto the visible spectrum, extending the range of our senses without the need of electronic devices.
UV imaging can be used to diagnose skin conditions or detect faults in electrical systems. It can also help reveal normally camouflaged objects, which is perhaps why animals such as reindeer have evolved to have this ability.
Existing devices to view UV light have a major drawback in that they block the normally visible spectrum of light 鈥� you can see UV, but nothing else.
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Mikhail Kats at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his colleagues have created an experimental system that allows visible light to pass so you can see as normal, but also perceive UV.
The group coated a lens with crystals just 10 nanometres wide. These nanocrystals light up when hit by UV light, and further lenses focus the rays given off into a clear image. The UV light is transformed into visible green light which is overlaid on a normal view.
Currently, the device鈥檚 several lenses occupy a table, but Kats hopes that future research will shrink the apparatus until it becomes wearable. It could also be possible to add infrared vision to expand the visible spectrum in both directions.
鈥淚t enhances your range of perception, it gives you the ability to see some things that are hidden,鈥� says Kats. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e getting towards the Geordi La Forge viewer from Star Trek. Having a bit of extra range in the spectrum is quite valuable.鈥�
Reference: arXiv,
