The US Army’s new night vision goggles will let you see the world through the eyes of an extra-terrestrial killing machine.
The US Army’s Lancer Brigade has been showing off on Twitter about its new toy; Night Vision Goggle-Binoculars that provide clear, outlined forms of the objects in front of their eyes. It’s a world away from the blurry, green, hard-to-decipher images we usually associate with this technology.
New Equipment!
— Lancer Brigade (@lancer_brigade) April 22, 2021
Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binoculars continue the @USArmy’s effort to #modernize our fighting force!
You have never seen night vision like this! #readynow #QuietProfessionals pic.twitter.com/3TCPtnno1r
According to Gizmodo, these goggles rely on white phosphor tubes, and the thermal imager is so effective that you can you see through dust and smoke even with no external illumination whatsoever. The real-time crisp edge detection comes courtesy of augmented reality, helping to easily distinguish people and things.
Some users on Twitter were quick to point out its resemblance to the images seen from the point of view of the relentless alien adversary in the 1987 sci-fi action horror film Predator:
However, if the tech bears such a resemblance to a spine-ripping superhuman does that lead the US Army to question, as in Mitchell and Webb’s famous sketch, whether they are the baddies?
Twitter users certainly thought so, with several sarcastic responses to the Lancer Brigade’s self-congratulatory social media post.
Is this the reason we can’t get free healthcare?
— HoodieRayl 27 (@hoodierayl27) April 26, 2021
It’s certainly interesting and boundary-pushing technology, though the military’s attempt to endear itself to the public via viral social media posts is worth questioning.
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