Night critter detector?

[Khunajawdge]

Questions for the LD guys...

I am curious about this Click ?

Any body seen/used this?

Helicopter pilots?

Do you think this would work on an FJR at 70+ mph on a Nevada highway to give a rider extra warning regarding critters etc. after dark?

Wonder what kind of power draw it would add to night time lighting and heating, and if the FJR's electrical system could recover?

Is vibration going to be a problem?

... just exercising my ability to speculate.

 

[Hit the Road Jack]

I used to operate an IR camera on P-3 patrol planes, many years ago. Great for seeing clearly in the dark.

I also recently researched the FLIR night vision systems for a project at work. For general aviation, helicopters and business jets, the systems start at around $15,000! Cheap for aviation!

However, a real world motorcycle application could likely be configured using a late model cam-corder with a night vision option. Newer camera models are available from Amazon (and others) for around $400.

 

[johnny80s]

Cool.

 

[CAJW]

I've got about 250 hrs. on ANVIS 9 (Gen II) NVG's flying EMS Helicopters. They are what the Special Ops guys are using in Iraq/Afghanistan and are not available to the general public only EMS, Law Enforcement and Military, last time I checked. They cost around $10K a set, but are the cat's meow in NVG. As far as handling direct bright lights, they do not shut down like previous generation NVG, but they do halo a bit dependent on the intensity of the light. Landing in ball fields at night with all the floods lit up is quite distracting and I often ask LEO's to turn off their overheads and just use parking lights as the goggles provide very good illumination of any available light. The issue for riding a mc with them will be of course cost, closely followed by how they can handle oncoming lights and how they take advantage of available light. On non-moon lit nights they have to work pretty hard to show up any detail and things get a bit grainy. They run on two AA batteries with a back up pack of the same so operating costs are nil, so no draw from the FJR power grid. Vibration shouldn't be an issue as long is it isn't hard mounted to the bike. Lastly, the field of view is 40 degrees so a lot of head turning (read sweeping side to side) is in order.

The IR side of night vision is still evolving regarding application at least regarding helicopter operations. Cost is less, but it hasn't yielded the results and consistency of NVG regarding the environment we operate in thus almost all EMS companies use NVG exclusively. I demoed an IR system in 2004, but it was limited by the direction the sensor was facing and not suitable for our application. I'm sure they've made improvements since then, but operators are still opting for NVG. It might work on a bike if the field of view was wide enough to cover the sides of the road where conflicts (forest rats) would be likely to come from. Interesting proposition, hope someone works it out.

 

[tmonroe]

I like the concept, but somehow I doubt it would be cost effective.

As I understand FLIR, it is very different than a camcorder's "Night vision". FLIR is sensitive to the types of heat put out by an animal's body. The "night vision" effect you get from camcorders is much closer to the spectrum of visible light, and won't actually "see" heat. A camcorder also requires illumination. You could setup infrared illumination on a bike and use it like this, but it would be more like using a camera to display the light from high-beams that nobody could see, and body heat wouldn't show up at all.

Another issue I see at least around here (pacific northwest), most animals are going to come bounding out from the trees. Of course, FLIR can't see through trees, so it wouldn't do much good. It would only help when you have clear line-of-sight to where the animal is coming from.

Finally, I think that in practice, you might have a problem seeing lots of false alarms - stuff that puts out heat, but isn't any kind of threat. I imagine its difficult to tell what something is from its heat signature, so you'd probably be riding around constantly slowing down for stuff alongside the road that wasn't going to jump out at you.

I couldn't see buying it (even if it was cheap) unless I could see footage of it in practice. Even then I think I'd be pretty skeptical - for the reasons above.

 

[DaSpyda]

By the time you saw it, you'd be there...and it'd be illuminated by your headlights, anyway.

 

[Khunajawdge]

Another issue I see at least around here (pacific northwest), most animals are going to come bounding out from the trees. Of course, FLIR can't see through trees, so it wouldn't do much good. It would only help when you have clear line-of-sight to where the animal is coming from.

Yeah but... I live nearer to the desert than I do the forest! That's why I'd consider it. Price depending!

Good stuff showing up here, thanks!

 

[Big-D]

Seems like it would be similar to texting on a cell phone. Night vision scopes on a rifle can be damaged if a sudden bright light source turns on during your IR look into darkness. Unlike FJR's, aircraft don't have the ability to use headlights to light up the skyway, which seems logical why IR can be so beneficial in flight operations.

So as you hurriedly ride down that dark road staring into your screen that is connected to your IR light looking for a heat source being illuminated by that pesky sheep, armadillo, deer or elk, you suddenly slam into that parked car that has had several hours to cool off or that large black steel drum full of flour that fell off of a flatbed.

Seems like the IBA riders have the right idea by installing HID or good Halogen accessory lights that allow for keeping your eyes looking down the highway.

Just say'n! :blink:

 

[Khunajawdge]

So as you hurriedly ride down that dark road staring into your screen that is connected to your IR light looking for a heat source being illuminated by that pesky sheep, armadillo, deer or elk, you suddenly slam into that parked car that has had several hours to cool off or that large black steel drum full of flour that fell off of a flatbed.
Seems like the IBA riders have the right idea by installing HID or good Halogen accessory lights that allow for keeping your eyes looking down the highway.

Just say'n! :blink:

Hmm, good points, as least as far as IR is concerned when trying to monitor a visual screen and a cold threat comes up. If one kept their eyes on the road, what if the IR was just hooked up to broadcast an audible alert?

 

[Big-D]

I've had deer run out in front of me on two occasions, both on my bike. But that was at dawn, both times. It seems to be the second deer that times their crossing to coincide with the path of a motorcycle. At least it seems that way anyway. And I had a horse standing right next to the roadway when it was dark on an Indian reservation in Colorado once. Luckily, I managed to avoid hitting either.

Having an IR system, with the potential cost factor and the other hassles involved, it just seems easier and possibly more effective to install additional lighting.

But, I understand that sometimes it's cool to have the latest gadgetry and technology. Like tires and any other accessory for a bike, there are pretty much unlimited options to choose from, which would also include the use of Infra-Red Night Vision. Maybe something could be integrated into a set of goggles, glasses or helmet shield that would include night vision capability for a single eye, while the other eye would be focused on the road ahead. That way, if you own more than one bike, it would be easy to move from one to the other.

 

[mferriter]

Just bought one of these (for work of course)

https://us.fluke.com/Fluke/usen/Thermal-Ima...2.htm?PID=56184

Cost almost as much as the bike, though.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

So as you hurriedly ride down that dark road staring into your screen that is connected to your IR light looking for a heat source being illuminated by that pesky sheep, armadillo, deer or elk, you suddenly slam into that parked car that has had several hours to cool off or that large black steel drum full of flour that fell off of a flatbed.
Seems like the IBA riders have the right idea by installing HID or good Halogen accessory lights that allow for keeping your eyes looking down the highway.

According to Darren Haley, the idea isn't to stare at it. The idea is to "just look at the screen until the oncoming traffic has passed." Your HIDs won't be on and you'd be blinded by the lights of the oncoming car.

On two lane roads, when the inconsiderate bastard coming toward you won't shut off the high beams, a IR display would be a cool option.