US Army Enhanced Night Vision Goggles: Insanely Futuristic, Higher Resolution Gives "The Predator" Like View

Soldiers have been using night-vision goggles that illuminate a sea of green light that help them have improved night visibility. However, that is now in the past with the US Army's latest night vision technology that even The Predator would be jealous of, according to Gizmodo's report.

The US Army's Lancer Brigade, also known as the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Divison, posted a video of the new night vision goggles last week on their Twitter account. The video immediately gained attraction across social media.

They claim that this is an upgrade from the traditional night vision technology currently used by soldiers. Although it is not yet clear what upgrades were made in the new night vision goggles, some soldiers who got to use them seemed happy about the upgrade.

Designed to Improve Soldier's Ability

The US Army's latest night vision goggles are known as the Enhanced Night Vision Google-Binocular or ENVG-B for short. It is designed to improve the soldier's ability to see what is happening in their surroundings and to accurately discern what they are seeing.

According to IFL Science, the video posted by the Lancer Brigade showed a cutting-edge night vision technology that has higher resolution and contrast than previous models. It has real-time augmented reality that highlights edges and illuminates them to the user, making it easier to see crucial pieces of information on the battlefield.

Previous night vision goggles work with green phosphor tubes but it was replaced with white phosphor tubes in the latest goggles that will give better contrast in poor conditions.

Moreover, the new night vision goggles have an integrated thermal imager that will enable the wearer to see through dust, smoke, and other visual obstructions.

The whole system weighs around 2.5 pounds (1.13 kg) including built-in batteries that could last for 7.5 hours, which means that it is not the lightest object that will be strapped to the soldier's head. The new technology is part of the United States Army Futures Command, which aims to modernize the Army force.

According to The Verge, the new night vision goggles are also designed as a set of binoculars to improve the soldier's depth perception. It also lets them look through the scope of a weapon remotely.

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How Do Traditional Night Vision Goggles Work?

According to Gizmodo, traditional night vision goggles work by converting the photons gathered in low-light settings into electrons that were amplified as it passes through a vacuum tube which lights up the green phosphor tubes that provide a bright image.

The traditional green light color was chosen because it was the easiest color to look at for prolonged periods in the dark. However, it lacks contrast that makes it challenging for the wearer to accurately understand what they are seeing which is problematic when in combat.