The University of Florida—funded by DARPA—has found a film-thin material that will add inexpensive, lightweight night vision to everything, from gadgets to cameras to car windshields. The key was in the same technology that powers OLED displays.


The new material is made from seven layers of Organic Light Emitting Diodes, which get excited by infrared light. As the light passes through the layers, they generate electricity charges that get amplified by the next layer, turning total darkness into clarity. Right now, the prototype only covers one square centimeter, but scientists think they will be able to scale it up to the size of a car windshield. [Popsci]