![]() Framerate was limited to 60Hz and the resolution was only 1280 x 800 - spoiler alert, that’s still better than the specs of this project! Regardless, many users complained about motion sickness and the apparent “stutter” of the unit. ![]() VR is a well-developed technology now, but at its commercial inception, it was plagued with a number of technical issues. However, framerate is only part of making an immersive and comfortable experience.Ī great example of this is the original Oculus Rift Dev Kit released almost exactly 10 years ago at the time of writing. A slow framerate might not only be frustrating or difficult to use, but also sickening. Therefore, whatever is shown on the screen directly affects the user’s coordination and motor skills. However, our Night Vision Goggles are a headset - the vast majority of the user’s visual input is from our night vision. If we were making a trail camera, or some other night vision monitoring device, framerate is a low priority because it’s not absolutely crucial that the image is displayed in real-time. On the topic of framerate, we need to be aware of how it - and other visual properties - affect our project. CMOS sensors also have dramatically faster readout times, which is good news for the framerate and smoothness of NVGs. However, as CMOS sensors became more sensitive, lower-cost and higher sensitivity (a measurement camera nerds like to call Quantum Efficiency, or QE), many imaging applications switched to CMOS sensors. Before CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) cameras became commonplace, this was a job typically reserved for power-hungry and low-resolution CCD (charged-coupled device) camera sensors. The alternative method of NVGs is Active Illumination, where an infrared-sensitive imaging device is combined with a corresponding illumination technique. No illumination or microcontrollers needed! This process doesn’t require any electronics besides powering the photocathode itself, so it’s simple. The photomultiplier tube is responsible for this process, which is a vacuum tube consisting of a photocathode, microchannel grid and an image plate. Traditionally, NVGs are ‘image intensifying’ devices that use the - limited - existing ambient light to amplify a corresponding signal into a stronger image. They’re just so cool! Night vision optics, more commonly seen in their head-mounted form as NVG (Night Vision Goggles) can work in a few different ways. Okay, we can’t resist talking a bit about NVGs and the history behind them. In fact, we’d wager it makes you even more visible thanks to the extremely bright Infrared LEDs mounted on the front of the unit. In any case, don’t use this for illegal trespassing - it won’t make you invisible on CCTV surveillance, for example. ![]() Who wouldn’t want their own pair of customised night-vision goggles?īy the way, if you have a legitimate need for night vision, chances are, you’re not going to be building one yourself out of a VR headset and a Raspberry Pi. ![]() However, the largest factor for developing this project is, of course, the coolness factor. We’re also tying off our project with an awesome 3D printed enclosure to help manage the cable mess we usually see with night vision projects.īelieve it or not, we can actually think of a few genuinely useful uses for this project! Observing wildlife at night time can be done without scaring them off with flashlights, and navigating dark rooms without disturbing people in your house can be done with ease. Temperature data, compass direction, and gyroscope data are all shown on the VR headset as you explore at night. ![]() We chose a bunch of sensors that we thought were cool and added their data outputs in real time onto the screen. You may have seen similar projects online, however, in this project, we’re going a little further and adding an Iron-Man style HUD to our display. This is definitely one of those projects that warrant an absolute boasting to anybody who spots it on a shelf in your house. This Night Vision project is a little different - we’re building it just because we can and it’s awesome. When we introduce projects, we usually spend a bit of time delving into the history, uses and justifications for what we build. Build your own Raspberry Pi powered night vision goggles! Complete with an Iron Man style HUD and headset! ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |