LED TV's and Cloaking Tech

[SpaceGurper]

LED's are small and many of the TV mfg's are moving into that technology.

If they can put millions of LED's in a TV for HiDef think of Camera + LED cloaking technology.

LED's also use little power compared to LCD or Plasma TV's

Question is, would LED cloaking body armor be feasible in today's military or whatnot?

I'm not sure how it would work with the contours of a human body though.

[Anthony]

Glowing (LED standards for light emitting diode) is not compatible with stealth except under extremely unusual circumstances.

[Crakkerjakk]

Which isn't to say you can't go all predator in the near future, just that it probably won't be in the form of LEDs.

[Agemegos]

The parallax problem rules out surface-coloured invisibility under most circumstances, and we won't get that licked until we can get an LED to emit a different colour and intensity of light in each direction. Optical phased array emitters would seem the minimum technology.

[Anaraxes]

Glowing (LED standards for light emitting diode) is not compatible with stealth except under extremely unusual circumstances.

Actually, it's been tried a good bit historically. As long as you're darker than the background, it can make sense. The camo doesn't "glow" so much as even up the light. At relatively long range, you don't see a bright spot, but just an even patch of brightness.

One use was for submarine-hunting planes in WW2 to avoid silhouetting them against the sky (from the point of view of a sub on the surface). The USAF used blue lights to disguise black planes at night -- both dark, but an opaque plane is still darker than the sky. Both US and Canadian Navies experimented with the concept in WW1 and WW2 for surface ships. So we're not talking about thieves hiding in the shadows to backstab, but delaying detection and reaction in scouting and meeting engagements.

The technique was never really widely used due to practical issues with maintenace of all those lights on your combat vehicle. And there are more practical issues with matching the light as it changes, as does the viewing angle. LEDs and modern processing help could help address those issues.

There are certainly a lot of limits to the idea, but I wouldn't say "extremely unusual circumstances". There are lots of circumstances in which you could benefit from such a system. It's just hard to build that system.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Actually, it's been tried a good bit historically. As long as you're darker than the background, it can make sense.

It's useful whenever you're backlit, which is the often case for aircraft, but almost never the case for infantry.

[PK]

Originally Posted by SpaceGurper

LED's are small and many of the TV mfg's are moving into that technology.

Are you sure you're not confusing LCD televisions with LEDs?

[sjard]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Are you sure you're not confusing LCD televisions with LEDs?

I doubt it, the current new generation of HDTVs are either an LED/LCD hybrid or going pure LED.

[SuedodeuS]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Are you sure you're not confusing LCD televisions with LEDs?

There are indeed LED televisions now, if that's what you're asking. Of course, a quick Google search informs me that LED televisions are, in fact, LED-backlit LCD televisions (I assume this is what you were actually referring to). Basically, the LED backlighting gives you a much better image (and burns less energy). I suspect, then, that such is no more useful for active camouflage than LCD technology.

EDIT: Oh noes, teh ninja!

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Are you sure you're not confusing LCD televisions with LEDs?

While there is a misnomer in the fact that most so-called LED TVs are simply LCDs with LED lighting, there are real LED monitors out there:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...greens.480.jpg
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/1...mes-square/?hp