Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School have found a way to provide a built-in night vision to Humans using nanoparticles.
They have already successfully tested their technology with the Mices.
The eyes of humans and other mammals can detect light between the wavelengths of 400 and 700 nanometers (nm). Near-infrared (NIR) light, on the other hand, has longer wavelengths — 750 nm to 1.4 micrometers. Thermal imaging cameras can help people see in the dark by detecting NIR radiation given off by organisms or objects, but these devices are typically bulky and inconvenient.
The researchers wondered whether they could give mice NIR vision by injecting a special type of nanomaterial, called upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), into their eyes.
Earlier this year, they successfully tested it with Mice. But that approach was not suitable Humans as they used inorganic UCNPs.
Now they have shown that they can make organic UCNPs so that their technology can be applied to Humans in the future.
This superhero power can be used in various ways. For example, a Dog injected with this nano particle can catch the lawbreakers without disturbing others if we could project a pattern onto the lawbreaker’s’ body from a distance.
Superhero powers aside, this technology could also have important medical applications, such as treating diseases of the eye.
News Source: Eurekalert
