NVGs in particular seem poised to see some of the biggest changes, as the trend towards reducing their size, weight and power demand continues, and unit prices drop, favouring the growth of enhanced night vision goggle (ENVG) technology.
The fusion of thermal imaging and image intensification into a single device makes for rapid target acquisition and significantly greater situational awareness, as systems now being developed can highlight the outline of an individual soldier against the background. In addition to improving threat detection and identification in all operating conditions, including total darkness, ENGVs are set to become shorter, reducing forward protrusion by perhaps as much as three or four inches, as attention focuses on the form, fit and extended wearability of the devices too.
In future, ENVGs may also have super-zoom facilities, allowing a small area of view to be examined in closer detail, and be able to transfer data seamlessly with other elements of a secure battlefield network. Looking even further ahead, advances in sensor technology such as the super-thin grapheme-based infrared light sensor recently devised by researchers at the University of Michigan could ultimately see NVGs looking more like Ray-Bans or even in the form of contact lenses. Night vision still promises to have a long way to go.
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