Now this is just bad ass.... (Military)

[Gargamel]

IR camouflage....

http://www.baesystems.com/Businesses...ideo/index.htm

[Z06killinsbf]

I call bullshit or they have some pretty CRAPPY IR equipment. Seems fake.

[BERNIE MOSFET]

Doubt it's terribly complicated. Could even be as simple as semiconductive panels that cool the external surface to ambient temperatures.

Actually - that's exactly what they do: http://robotpig.net/engineering-news...-systems-_2102

[appelingogt]

wicked cool!

[Z06killinsbf]

Doubt it's terribly complicated. Could even be as simple as semiconductive panels that cool the external surface to ambient temperatures.

Actually - that's exactly what they do: http://robotpig.net/engineering-news...-systems-_2102

But wouldn't it need to be the temp of the background/foreground images and not the air temperature? When it "cloaks" it looks just like the trees.

[BERNIE MOSFET]

But wouldn't it need to be the temp of the background/foreground images and not the air temperature? When it "cloaks" it looks just like the trees.

The video could be doctored. I'd never rule that out. If this is primarily defense against IR guided weapons and detection systems, then it may be that the images presented to us really are made more palatable to our eye for marketing, when defeating automated IR systems is easier. I really don't know.

More than likely, for ground based camouflage, you'd definitely not go with just ambient temperatures because a solid block of one color against a random background would be visible as well. It might be that they randomly allow for brighter and dimmer pixels and let the human eye tend to synthesize continuity when images are grainy or irregular.

I'd also suggest that the system could take it's own IR images and superimpose some pixelated interpolation of the image on the opposite side - completing the image. Would it be exact? Probably not; especially as the viewing angle is more from the side but then there may not be any need from any appreciable distance.

It's the same concept with the "digital" camouflage BDUs the military switched to. It definitely happens in low light conditions or where images are monochromatic. The human eye simply can't discern any distinct shape at distance. Same thing with fooling basic automated IR systems, and especially IR systems with pixelated displays for human eyes.

But, I dunno. I'm kind of just thinking out loud here.

[John -- '02 HAWK]

theres also use of camera angles to not show any absorbed radiant energy. IE looking down at the ground

[stangstew]

Maybe this can help you undertsnad how it works.

Called ADAPTIV, the system features hundreds of hexagonal metal “pixels” that quickly change temperature to match the heat signature of a vehicles’ surroundings — therefore rendering it invisible to infra-red cameras. ADAPTIV pixels can even be programmed to mimic the heat signature and shape of other vehicles; making a tank look like a car, for example.

The pixels can easily be bolted onto a vehicles’ hull or ballistic armor plates, according to the company.

On-board cameras pick up the background scenery and display that infra-red image on the vehicle, allowing even a moving tank to match its surroundings. Alternatively, it can mimic another vehicle or display identification tags, reducing the risk of fratricide.

[exlude]

BAE isn't exactly in the business of bullshit. They have many HUGE military contracts.

They are partners in the F-35, make the Bradley, Paladin, and (I think) used to make the MTV platform before selling to Stewart Stevenson.

[BoostedGT]

BAE isn't exactly in the business of bullshit. They have many HUGE military contracts.

They are partners in the F-35, make the Bradley, Paladin, and (I think) used to make the MTV platform before selling to Stewart Stevenson.

What he said... I assure you its not fake.

[Z06killinsbf]

Who here actually works on IR equipment? Just curious.