STORRS, Conn., July 12 (UPI) -- New technology allowing lenses to change color rapidly could have military as well as civilian applications, its U.S. developer says.
University of Connecticut chemistry professor Greg Sotzing says he's perfected a method for creating quick-changing, variable colors in films and displays, such as sunglasses.
The typical material behind a so-called transition lens is called a photochromic film that changes color when light hits it.
Sotzing's new technology uses electrochromic lenses that are controlled by an electric current passing through them when triggered by a stimulus such as light, a university release said Tuesday.
The material can change colors as quickly as electricity passes through it, virtually instantaneously, he said.
While sunglasses are on obvious application, the process could be very useful for the military, Sotzing said. For example, if a person emerges from a dark passageway and into the desert, a lens that would alter its color instantly in response to the surroundings could mean life or death for some soldiers.
"Right now, soldiers have to physically change the lenses in their goggles," Sotzing says. "This will eliminate that need."
