NASA Camera Technology Advances Non-Visible Spectrum Imaging
An award-winning NASA camera is reportedly revolutionizing the ability to visualize phenomena in non-visible light spectra. The technology opens new possibilities for remote sensing, atmospheric science, and advanced flight test validation. Such sensor advancements are critical for developing more capable autonomous flight and sensor fusion algorithms.
- The technology, named the Self-Aligned Focusing Schlieren (SAFS) system, was invented by NASA engineers Brett Bathel and Joshua Weisberger at the agency's Langley Research Center in Virginia. - The system is an advancement of schlieren imaging, a technique dating to the 19th century that visualizes differences in fluid density, allowing phenomena like supersonic shockwaves to be seen. The SAFS innovation uses light polarization, making it more compact, lower-cost, and less complex than traditional focused schlieren systems. - For its impact, the SAFS technology received a 2025 R&D 100 Award and was also named the 2025 NASA Government Invention of the Year, the highest award the agency gives to new technologies. - In practical applications like wind tunnel testing, the system can capture the complex shock structures around a rocket booster while filtering out visual noise from tunnel boundary layers or temperature changes outside the test area. - A related digital version of focusing schlieren technology developed by NASA utilizes a programmable LCD grid that allows for on-the-fly adjustments, enabling data collection at rates up to 1MHz with a high-speed camera and laser illuminator. - The technology has been adopted by more than 50 institutions across at least eight countries, and NASA is making commercial versions available through technology licensing agreements.
