Infrared sensors hit 16 megapixels, can now spy on an entire hemisphere
By Vlad Savov 
posted August 13th 2009 5:12AM
posted August 13th 2009 5:12AM
[Via TG Daily]
posted August 13th 2009 5:12AM
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*Faceplam*
I hope that they won't spy on me , i do many bad things on my daily life.
Optimized for space applications, the new "4K-by-4K" focal plane array comprises some 16 million pixels
It's 16million not 16mega engadget
Mega means a million genius.
Shawn: Are you arguing with...DOCTOR HOUSE?
Shawn i didn't say Mega =/= million
What i mean is that they are using 16million mega pixel.
My camera have 15mega pixel and I'm sure that can not cover half of the entire earth with details.
Phones have 12mega pixel now so what's the big deal if it was only 16 mega pixel.
@ DR House
No, this isn't 16 million million pixels, it really is "just" 16 million or 16 mega pixels - your choice of which term you use.
Your camera has a cheap and comparatively shitty visible-light detector in it, whereas this is a highly specialised infra-red detector. 16 million pixels is more than enough to provide the detail needed for the types of applications you'd use an infra-red sensor for, even if fitting the whole Earth in the scope. They mention missile warning systems on the original release, and they would easily show up on a sensor with this capability, deployed from a whole-Earth monitoring distance.
What's the big deal about this then how come they couldn't accomplish this before? specially with homeland security support.
Google already take pictures with 15-20 GIGAPIXEL just google "GIGAPIXEL Google"
You, sir, are an idiot.
Gigapixel images are several images stitched togethr. You knuckledragging mouthbreather.
Thank you for calling me sir, I'll call you dumb because it fits for you
http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/13/darpa-develops-a-1-8-gigapixel-digicam-and-no-you-cant-check/
GIGAPIXEL sensors exist i don't know what's amazing about 16MP
DR House pwned lol bbq, or whatever they say...
CCDs in your cell phones/digital cameras != IR sensors. Manufacturing processes and the electronics are completely different.
Hmm, just checked. Yup, full 4K x 4K. That is 4096 x 4096. This is a true 16 Megapixel array.
-Matt
What you have to realize is that a single pixel of an infrared detector cost $1. So now multiple that by 16 million. This things are not cheap like a visible light sensor in a consumer camera. Quite a feat to make one so large.
I work with satellite imagery. Here's the scoop.
Satellites scan the earth as they fly by. They already produce very high resolution imagery, but IT'S DONE IN MULTIPLE SWIPES (pictures). What this camera does is basically the same thing, but IN ONE SINGLE SWIPE.
Right now, a Geostationary satellite takes about 10 minutes to capture a hemisphere (not much changes weather-wise in 10 minutes). With this sensor, the same capture can be done in seconds (you would actually have 10 or so of these, each for various wavelengths).
Military satellites fly low and work similarly. Picture, Picture, Picture. Stitch em together. This would still be done with this camera, but you get a tradeoff. Either you have a much higher resolution image per swipe (picture). Or you use the same optics and fly the satellite a little higher, reducing fuel consumption and/or increasing the satellite's lifetime. I suspect the military will go for higher resolution.
-Pie
Nowhere to hide anymore...
creepy bitches
Do people really believe the government are going to use it for only wide-angle photography... They're going to put a monster telephoto on that thing so they can track suspects at night as well.
"They're going to put a monster telephoto on that thing so they can track suspects at night as well."
"Suspects" meaning every single American citizen. George Orwell was a prophet.
"We advise wide-brimmed tin foil hats to shield your body heat from these Sauron-like satellite"
I laughed so hard at this.
Good luck spying on a hemisphere with your 4k x 4k resolution. This will be real useful when Bin Laden travels to his new cave in a GIANT FLAMING ROCKET.
This conjured funny images in my mind. Thank you.
It isn't easy building an infrared sensor with that many pixels. Each pixel cost $1. And you have to use exotic materials for lenses because regular glass blocks infrared. So everything you know about traditional camera optics is meaningless for infrared detectors.
are you a wolf or are you a sheep?
Let's vote on it!
Ohh god Big Brother Begins, well not really but he has taken another step This+ Google+Twitter+Facebook+CCTV= No ware to hide
Only 16 megapixels? Did you mean to say 16 gigapixels because that'd be more like it! :)
yea wtf
This is an IR detector, not a cheapo visible light detector like those in consumer cameras. A 1 megapixel IR sensor is considered very large. A 16 megapixel IR detector has never been done before which is why Raytheon is boasting about it. 1 IR pixel costs $1.
Infra-red warmly received? I see what you did there.
"...a global uprising of the proletariat." Wait, what? I thought we were against the proletariat?!? Crap, now I've got to rewrite the hate propoganda.
infrared sensor?
*face palm*
It's too bad the best and brightest engineers in the US end up working in the military industrial complex. Maybe cars really would get 230MPG, and my cell phone company wouldn't be able to gouge me for $80/month.
Instead we end up with the best spy network in the world (and no one to spy on), and millions of guilt-free ways to kill a man.
Despite your seriousness, your post is quite humorous to read.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raytheon#Controversies
> the vast majority of Raytheon's revenues have been obtained from defense contracts
> Raytheon, for instance, contributed nearly a million dollars to various defense-related political campaigns in the presidential election year of 2004, spending much more than that on lobbying expenses.
> Richard Armitage, a former United States Deputy Secretary of State, is linked to the company through consultancy work. John M. Deutch, a former U.S. Director of Central Intelligence, sits on the board of directors, along with Warren Rudman, a former Senator.
> In March 1990, Raytheon pleaded guilty to one felony count of illegally obtaining classified Air Force budget and planning documents. The documents allegedly gave Raytheon an unfair advantage against its competitors in bidding for weapons contracts.
Also, remember those "awesome" Raytheon-developed Patriot missiles that took down 41 of 42 SCUD missiles in Gulf War I? Their success was pure propaganda.
> The Patriot missile system was not the spectacular success in the Persian Gulf War that the American public was led to believe. There is little evidence to prove that the Patriot hit more than a few Scud missiles launched by Iraq during the Gulf War, and there are some doubts about even these engagements. The public and the United States Congress were misled by definitive statements of success issued by administration and Raytheon representatives during and after the war.
Finally,
> the National Science Foundation awarded Raytheon $152 million dollars in grants, more than to any other institution and organization in the country
So when do we get access to all that research that our tax dollars paid for?
viewing the entire hemisphere would give you 2 mile resolution, you wont be able to see anything with that kind of resolution...except weather. Theyll have to slap some optics on this that allows for many fields of view...
For those comparing this accomplishment to what they believe to be similar pixel counts sensors that already exist (who hasn't seen IR converted DSLRs?), this technology is different. Converted camera sensors detect very near IR ... basically just an extension of the visible spectrum. They are recording reflected IR just as they record reflected visible light. The deep IR (much longer wavelength) light needed to look at temperature and for other scientific insight is much harder to detect because the corresponding photons have too little energy to be absorbed much by silicon.
16MP doesn't sound like a whole lot of resolution when you're looking at an entire hemisphere.
earth is approximately 8000 miles wide so 8000 X 8000 equals 64,000,000 square miles in a picture of the earth.
64,000,000/16,000,000 = 4 square miles per pixel
By US congressional order all IR satellites are launched with the lenscap on, to prevent any evidence of global warming harming US interest.
Why weren't they at 16MP when 16MP cameras came out?
16 MPixel sensors are out for visible sensors, but not for IR ones (especially ones operating in the mid to long wave spectra). Pixels for IR focal plane array need to be much larger than the pixel number equivalent visible FPA, resulting in very low yield at fabrication.
Stop comparing your crappy DSLR camera with a military grade IR sensor. It is like comparing a model rocket to the Saturn V rocket. They are in entirely different leagues. IR sensors (for military applications) are extremely expensive and difficult to produce. The optics are made of exotic materials like sapphire and other exotic glasses because regular glass blocks the IR spectrum used by military systems.
Now if they just manage to fit this in a pocket cam, we'll be good to go!
(Joking, of course).