Remember in Predator, when Arnold Schwarzeneger smeared himself with mud so the alien's thermal vision couldn't detect his body heat? Well, BAE Systems has taken that concept and developed sheets of thermal-adaptive, hexagonal panels that can attach to the exterior of vehicles, in effect making them invisible to infrared surveillance.
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The technology is ideal for military vehicles and transports, making vehicles immune to night vision, homing an tracking devices and target acquisition systems.
The patented "ADAPTIV" saucer-sized panels join together in a lightweight metal shell, capable of sustaining impact and providing armor for vehicles on the battlefield. But the real kicker is that the panels can rapidly change temperatures; heated and cooled by semi-conducting technology and powered by the vehicles electrical system.
When heated, the panels give-off an infrared image of the background landscape. Cameras aboard the vehicle make this possible by capturing images of surrounding thermal energy. As the panels adjust, even something as large as a tank is capable of seamlessly blending into the background, much like a chameleon.
BAE also has a library of stock images and their heat signatures, for example those of cars, trucks and large rocks. A tank could potentially apply these heat signatures to the panels, helping it mimic other vehicles or natural objects in its environment.
"Earlier attempts at similar cloaking devices have hit problems because of cost, excessive power requirements or because they were insufficiently robust," said project manager, Peder Sjolund, in a BAE news release. "Our panels can be made so strong that they provide useful armor protection and consume relatively low levels of electricity, especially when the vehicle is at rest in 'stealth recce' mode and generator output is low."
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The ADAPTIV panels can also be used on helicopters, ships and other fixed installations.
[Via GizMag]
Photo: BAE Systems
Tags: Military Vehicles, Transportation
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