Bodkin Design & Engineering (Newton, MA, USA) has been awarded a contract from the US Air Force to develop a polarizing element that can be retrofitted to an infra-red camera to switch it from a high-resolution IR imaging mode to a polarimetric infra-red imaging mode.
Polarimetric imaging measures the polarization states of light coming from all points in a scene. This information, particularly in the infrared region, can help classify materials and identify objects of interest for remote sensing and military applications. Surveillance using a polarization sensitive camera, for example, can improve the detection of targets under tree canopy, in camouflage and in cluttered environments.
The company says that the new switchable element could be adapted to fit existing cameras to enable them to rapidly switch between polarimetric and high resolution imagery.
The nine-month project is funded by the Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR), a program established by the Small Business Administration Office.
Related articles on infra-red imaging from Vision Systems Design that you might also be interested in.
1. Infra-red detectors made from nanotubes
A team of researchers from Peking University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Duke University (Durham, NC, USA) has harnessed the properties of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) to create a highly sensitive, un-cooled photovoltaic infra-red detector.
2. Matlab helps speed software development of thermal cameras at FLIR
Engineers at FLIR Systems (Wilsonville, OR, USA) have turned to software from The Mathworks (Natick, MA, USA) to help them develop and deploy new algorithms for the company's range of thermal infra-red cameras.
3. An infra-red comeback for the beetles
A team of German researchers from the University of Bonn (Bonn, Germany) have concluded that the sensors of black fire beetles might even be more sensitive than un-cooled infrared sensors designed by man.
-- Dave Wilson, Senior Editor, Vision Systems Design
