David Berlind of ZDNet, covering the Consumer Electronics Show, found a new way to “see” in the dark using nanotechnology:
Look ma, no light! Nanotech is behind ultra-sensitivity of Planet82’s “Nano-Cam” sensor
If you’re like me, then maybe you’ve been hearing a lot about nanotechnology but haven’t yet seen the benefits of it in any of the products coming to market. Well, here at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, that changed for me when I got a look at what I’m calling Planet82’s “Nano-Cam”…
Company officials took me into a room; one that had no windows and a simulated driveway with two small children in it. To prove how effective Planet82’s technology was at capturing an image of the simulated children in a no light, pitch black simulation, we used our own video camera to show how they weren’t visible once the lights were turned down. Then, we panned the camera over to a computer display that showed us what the Nano-Cam was seeing. What I saw was quite remarkable and we captured it on tape. Here’s the video:
Watch the video.
Question for Nigel Cameron: is it okay if I get eyes that can do this? Think of the children who would not be run over by me in the dark!
Seriously: this video reminds us that nanotech’s ELSI — Ethical, Legal, and Societal Implications, a term which is usually used to refer to downsides — include many which are strongly positive. —Christine
