Night vision devices were probably developed to assist soldiers in their dangerous missions. At night we see less and the militia has binoculars, lenses, and a number of devices that allow us to “see” better at night. This can be a life or death factor in what warfare means.
But this technology can well be applied to everyday life and one of the most interesting objectives is that of night vision in cars, whose idea is to make the vehicle safer when it is at night. Finally, the motorist depends on the light of his lights, and therefore, he has limitations in what he observes.
There are several manufacturers of automobile night vision devices. One of them, FLIR, offers thermal vision cameras, that is, they recognize the temperature of the bodies and present a colored image showing the different temperatures.
Clearly, the most current application for this type of technology are airports, supermarkets, etc., to measure the temperature of customers in this COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, this same technology can probably be applied to automobiles as well.
In fact, FLIR offers its PathFindIR II Driver Vision Enhancement System, which allows you to see how objects (people, animals, cars in motion), allowing drivers to drive more safely
It must be said that luxury car manufacturers in many cases offer night vision systems because, probably, this gives added value to the already high cost of the vehicle itself.
All these night vision devices operate in the infrared spectrum, that is, they detect differences in temperatures in the environment and therefore, they can practically “see” when there is no visible light.
Another manufacturer of night vision devices is Lanmodo. In this case, it comes with a screen that is slightly larger than a rearview mirror that is placed in front of the windshield.
The energy is received from the cigarette lighter connector that drives many cars by default and there is no more to do. This is enough to add night vision to your car. Lanmodo offers a rear camera for an extra cost.
Two technologies: infrared and light multiplication
Lanmodo’s technology is not infrared. What it does is it takes all the light it can find after the sunlight is gone and multiplies it on the screen.
The result is remarkable because the image is seen as if it were daytime. Unlike thermal devices, which ultimately use infrared cameras and see in black and white, the Lanmodo camera sees in colors. It is frankly amazing.
If we talk about advantages and disadvantages, devices such as the FLIR, allow animals and people to be seen on the street and then, through computer vision, they can detect and warn the driver of these living beings that are close to streets, avenues or roads where you are driving. However, everything is black and white.
On the other hand, if devices like Lanmodo are used, you have a night vision that looks like daylight, but the system does not have software that warns people or animals nearby, or that shows them on the screen as it happens like infrared systems
The cost is high
Considering the economic conditions of our country (Mexico), the cost of these devices is usually high. The FLIR camera costs in Amazon Mexico around 20 thousand pesos (less than 1,000 dollars at the current value of the dollar against the peso), which is undoubtedly a price not for all budgets. The Lanmodo camera, which is not available on Amazon, but the company offers it for $499 and they pay for shipping.
These types of devices are likely to be more applicable to people who drive at night continuously, for example, truck drivers who carry goods and who generally work at night, which may help them to drive more safely.
However, any device that helps vehicle drivers is usually an interesting idea and the cost is perhaps better to see as an investment in a moment, Unocero says.
Other applications and alternatives
The use of infrared technology can not only serve for motorists. For example, if you Google, you will find many tiny infrared cameras, where many have the label of “spy cameras”, although there are many that are advertised as security cameras to put them to monitor entryways, for example. Here the costs are much lower.
In Amazon Mexico we find that prices range between 500 and 3000 pesos, depending of course on the benefits that the systems offer. Perhaps the best recommendation is, if you are very interested in the subject, to buy a cheap device and see what results in it has. From there you can have more elements for your future decisions.
