Multispectral Imaging: Bridging Military and Commercial Frontiers

Rajesh Uppal December 30, 2023 Military, Photonics Comments Off on Multispectral Imaging: Bridging Military and Commercial Frontiers 1,727 Views

Introduction

In today’s world, security and innovation are paramount in both military and commercial sectors. Emerging technologies like multispectral imaging are playing a pivotal role in enhancing surveillance and threat detection capabilities. This article explores the versatile world of multispectral imaging and its applications, from uncovering hidden dangers like land mines to expanding the horizons of agriculture and beyond.

Unveiling the Multispectral Spectrum

Our human eyes, though remarkable, perceive only a limited portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Known as the visible spectrum, it spans wavelengths from 400 to 700 nanometers, encompassing a rich array of colors from violet to red. However, a vast expanse of wavelengths remains hidden to us—both shorter (ultraviolet) and longer (infrared) than our visible spectrum.

Multispectral imaging is the key to unlocking this hidden realm of light. It involves capturing light from a narrow range of wavelengths across the electromagnetic spectrum, going beyond the constraints of standard RGB imaging.

Military and Commercial Applications

Smaller regions on Earth can be monitored with instruments on airplanes or drones, which allow for higher spatial resolutions. The purposes can be similar is for satellite instruments, for example monitoring the development of agricultural crops or the detection of forest fires.

In multispectral imaging, images are obtained from several spectral channels, often more than ten, and these spectral regions frequently extend beyond the visible spectrum. They cover parts of the infrared and ultraviolet regions, providing unique insights and capabilities that are neither available to the human eye nor standard RGB cameras.

While traditional digital cameras capture light within the visible spectrum, dividing it into the familiar RGB channels, multispectral cameras transcend these boundaries. They capture information from wavelengths beyond human perception, including the infrared and ultraviolet ranges.

Reading the World’s Reflectance

Every object and surface reflects light differently, depending on its unique properties. The ratio of reflected light to incident light is known as reflectance, expressed as a percentage. Reflectance properties are influenced by material, physical and chemical state (e.g. moisture), surface roughness, and sunlight angles, among other factors. Notably, key surface features such as color, structure, and texture contribute to an object’s spectral reflectance patterns or spectral signatures, enabling the identification of various materials and features.

Multispectral Imaging in Action

While some multispectral imaging devices (also called multispectral cameras) are used on space satellites and airplanes, there are also hand-held devices as well as imaging devices installed in industrial settings, for example.

Multispectral instruments on satellites are used for various kinds of Earth monitoring from space, for example for geological surveys, for environmental monitoring and for military surveillance. Various wavelengths channels can be used for monitoring vegetation (e.g. agricultural crops, biomass mapping), while others are useful for detecting minerals, non-authorized land use, buildings, etc.

Commercial Applications

Beyond the military, multispectral imaging offers diverse benefits across various commercial sectors:

Precision Agriculture: Multispectral imaging revolutionizes agriculture by assessing crop health, identifying pests, optimizing irrigation, and increasing yields while conserving resources. Specialized software translates multispectral images into meaningful data for farmers, promoting efficient and sustainable practices. Multispectral cameras mounted under agricultural drones detect green, red, red and near infrared wavebands to capture visible and invisible images of crops and vegetation. Multispectral imaging helps farmers minimize the use of sprays, fertilizers and irrigation, while increasing the yield from their fields. It is estimated that the process currently used to produce fertilizer accounts for up to two percent of the global energy consumption and up to three percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. At the same time, researchers estimate that 50 to 60 percent of fertilizer produced is wasted. Accounting for fertilizer alone, precision agriculture holds an enormous potential for energy savings and greenhouse gas reduction, not to mention the estimated $8.5 billion in direct cost savings each year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Environmental Monitoring: Multispectral imaging aids in monitoring ecosystems, tracking deforestation, assessing water quality, and preserving biodiversity. Its non-invasive nature makes it valuable in assessing burns and skin inflammation in healthcare.
Infrastructure Inspection: Multispectral imaging facilitates infrastructure inspections, including power lines, pipelines, and bridges. Drones and satellites equipped with multispectral sensors can ensure the safety and reliability of critical infrastructure assets.
Healthcare : The earliest and most successful uses of multispectral imaging were in diagnostic medicine. Multispectral imaging lets healthcare providers pinpoint the presence of diseases that are hard to identify with other means. Eventually, multispectral imaging was combined with nanotechnology to diagnose health issues at the level of individual cells.Light interacts with biological tissue in different ways, depending on the wavelength of the light. This makes spectral multispectral imaging a powerful tool for biomedical and chemical applications. For example, images captured in the near infrared wavelength help doctors take depth measurements in tissue and blood chromophores such as oxy-hemoglobin, deoxy-hemoglobin and bilirubin. Spectral imaging has the added benefit of being non-invasive, which makes it useful in assessing burns and skin inflammation.

Military Applications

Multispectral imaging holds a significant role in military operations, enhancing threat detection and reconnaissance capabilities:

Detecting Land Mines: Land mines are insidious threats in conflict zones, often concealed and challenging to detect with traditional methods. Multispectral imaging can identify subtle spectral differences between land mines and their surroundings, facilitating their safe removal. Multispectral imaging is also used to detect land mines and underground missiles by analyzing the emissivity of ground surfaces. Drones flown over former battlefields use a camera that acquires registered images in six spectral bands. These images are then analyzed using software that identifies metal and plastic land mines
Identifying Camouflaged Targets: Adversaries often use camouflage to hide assets and installations. Multispectral imaging discerns discrepancies in spectral signatures, revealing hidden targets such as concealed weapons caches or camouflaged military vehicles.
Tracking Missile Launches: Early detection of ballistic missile launches is vital for national security. Satellites equipped with multispectral imaging can detect the infrared signatures of missile launches, providing essential early warnings.Ballistic missile defence systems detect, track and intercept enemy ballistic missiles. The system consists of a ballistic-missile warning system, a target discrimination system, an anti-ballistic-missile guidance system, and a command-control communication system. Multispectral imaging is used in the detection stage. Intercontinental ballistic missiles emit invisible radiation during their boost phase. Multispectral imaging detects the body of the missile body (mid-wave infrared) as well as the rocket plumes (long-wave infrared).

Innovations in Multispectral Cameras

Multispectral images are captured either with special cameras that separate these wavelengths using filters, or with instruments that are sensitive to particular wavelengths, including light from frequencies that are invisible to the human eye (infrared and ultra-violet, for example). For example, a multi-spectral imager may provide wavelength channels for near-UV, red, green, blue, near-infrared, mid-infrared and far-infrared light – sometimes even thermal radiation (→ thermal imaging).

Multispectral imaging technology is constantly evolving, and researchers are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Recent breakthroughs in multispectral imaging have the potential to revolutionize various fields. One notable innovation comes from researchers at Duke University, who have made significant advancements in multispectral cameras:

Broad-Spectrum Photodetectors for Multispectral Imaging

Researchers at Duke University have developed a breakthrough in multispectral imaging technology by creating broad-spectrum photodetectors that can capture a wide range of light frequencies on a single chip. This innovation holds promise for a range of applications and could significantly impact industries such as healthcare, agriculture, and food safety.

How It Works

The key to this innovation lies in plasmonics—a branch of physics that deals with nanoscale physical phenomena. By utilizing plasmonics, the researchers were able to design on-chip spectral filters made from tailored electromagnetic materials. These filters can trap specific frequencies of light, enabling the photodetectors to capture a multispectral image in a fraction of a second.

Potential Applications

This breakthrough has the potential to create lightweight and cost-effective multispectral cameras, opening up new possibilities in various fields:

Cancer Surgery: Surgeons could use multispectral imaging to differentiate between cancerous and healthy tissue during surgeries. This technology could enhance the precision of procedures and improve patient outcomes.
Food Safety Inspection: Inspectors in the food industry could employ multispectral cameras to identify contaminated or spoiled food products quickly. This would enhance food safety and reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses.
Precision Agriculture: Multispectral cameras with broad-spectrum photodetectors could provide farmers with detailed information about their crops. This includes data on crop health, water needs, and nutrient levels. Precision agriculture could become even more efficient and sustainable.

Advantages

The use of plasmonics in creating these photodetectors offers several advantages:

Speed: The new photodetectors can capture multispectral images in just a fraction of a second, making them significantly faster than previous technologies.
Cost-Effective: Manufacturing these photodetectors is relatively inexpensive, potentially lowering the cost of multispectral imaging systems.
Scalability: The technology is scalable, meaning it can be applied to various applications without significant barriers.

While this breakthrough represents a significant advancement in multispectral imaging, there is potential for even greater speed and efficiency in the future. Researchers believe that further optimizations and refinements could lead to even faster detection times, making the technology even more practical and versatile.

Recent Breakthroughs

The development of new sensor technologies: New sensor technologies are being developed that can capture images in more spectral bands, with higher resolution, and at lower cost. This is opening up new possibilities for multispectral imaging in a wide range of applications.
The use of machine learning and artificial intelligence: Machine learning and artificial intelligence are being used to improve the analysis of multispectral images. This is allowing for more accurate detection and identification of objects and features, as well as better understanding of the data.
The development of new applications: New applications for multispectral imaging are being developed all the time. For example, multispectral imaging is being used to detect cancer cells, diagnose plant diseases, and track the movement of animals in the wild.

Here are some specific examples of recent breakthroughs in multispectral imaging:

In 2022, researchers at the University of California, Davis developed a new type of multispectral sensor that can capture images in 100 spectral bands. This is the highest number of spectral bands ever captured by a single sensor.
In 2023, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a new machine learning algorithm that can automatically detect cancer cells in multispectral images of the skin. The algorithm was able to achieve an accuracy of 95% in detecting cancer cells, which is comparable to the accuracy of human dermatologists.
In 2023, researchers at the University of Cambridge developed a new method for using multispectral imaging to track the movement of animals in the wild. The method uses a technique called “light tagging,” which involves attaching small, light-emitting tags to animals. The tags reflect different wavelengths of light, which allows the researchers to track the animals’ movements using multispectral imaging.

These are just a few examples of the recent breakthroughs in multispectral imaging. As the technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative and groundbreaking uses for multispectral imaging in the years to come.

A World Beyond RGB

Multispectral imaging is not confined to a single domain. It serves as a bridge, connecting military and commercial applications. From detecting hidden dangers like land mines to revolutionizing agriculture and aiding in environmental preservation, multispectral imaging continues to expand our understanding of the world, both seen and unseen. As technology advances, its capabilities will only continue to grow, reshaping how we perceive and respond to the challenges and opportunities of our interconnected world.

References and Resources also include:

https://photographycourse.net/multispectral-imaging-used-for/

https://phys.org/news/2019-11-light-trapping-nanocubes-inexpensive-multispectral-camera.html