Troops Could Have Night Vision Injected Into Their Eyes

In the not so distant future, U.S. troops could trade in their night vision goggles for a direct eye injection that allows them to see in the dark. The process being developed by scientists in both the U.S. and China, has already proven successful in laboratory mice.

Currently, U.S. troops wear large goggles to see in the dark. This devices uses infrared sensors to pick up heat sources, painting an image of a person’s surroundings based on radiated warmth.

Night vision goggles (NVG), while effective, are expensive, bulky, and require electrical power to operate.

NVGs also restrict the wearer’s field of view, making it similar to viewing the world through a pair of toilet paper tubes. This can create a false perspective of the wearer’s surroundings and in wartime could prove dangerous.

Xue Tian, a scientist based in China, is quoted as saying he “definitely” thought it would work in humans.

There are a number of issues that have to be addressed before this could be ready for troops. Such as until scientists perform human trials, we won’t know how effective the nanoparticles are and how well humans will see in the dark. If it’s subpar to current night vision goggle technology, then it’s not worth the effort and more research will be needed

If this only last 10 weeks, it will require frequent reinjections to soldiers stationed in combat zones which are often unsanitary, even so eyeball injections will make even the toughest soldiers weak in the knees.

If injectable night vision on the other hand does work, it means no longer buying expensive night vision goggles. This means one less power-hungry electronics system on the battlefield, reducing the need for batteries.

In turn this will lighten the soldier’s load, making troops more mobile and less fatigued. It also promises a much wider field of view for soldiers that matches their daytime vision, giving them equal situational awareness day or night.