As per recent developments, researchers at MIT have developed a whole new chip that can make night vision possible for automobiles. This can be a major game changer in the industry.

In a major breakthrough for future automotive developments, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with a whole new chip that can effectively miniaturize the basic technology present in night vision goggles to fit cars. This may shrink night vision capabilities for cars or even smartphones sometime in the future. Thermal imaging is what is required for illumination of subjects in total darkness and this has always been problematic owing to the heavy cooling equipment required to regulate the prevalent technology.

However, a set of miniaturized sensors in the chip could spark a revolution across several sectors including automobiles. The chip’s foundation is said to be graphene which is a strong and semi conductive material reactive to heat. This can be made use of while creating computer chips to sense humidity and heat and could also revolutionize infrared and thermal imaging technologies. This tiny chip has an air pocket to cool it round a graphene strip, thereby adding greater cost effectiveness, heat detection minus external cooling and flexibility to the experience. These sensors could bring down thermal imaging costs, thereby boosting application in military and consumer sectors alike.

Night vision technology does exist in several other forms but low light image sensors still require a minimum amount of light to work properly. Thermal imaging systems that rely on coolants can show clear pictures in darkness and even if there are models that don’t require coolants, the sheer heat can wreak havoc on the picture. Apart from night vision capabilities for cars and other consumer devices, graphene can also spur further developments in robotics.