Virtual periscope is a system that allows submerged
submarines to observe the surface above them without having to come to a shallower depth, as is required by traditional
periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position.
In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...
s.
The system, described in a patent as "Virtual Periscope",
was tested in 2005 aboard . It employed a small camera mounted on the sail of the submarine that uses the surface of the ocean as a lens, collecting light from above the surface and refracting it below. High-speed signal processing software assembles an image of what is on the surface. At the time, the system's resolution did not allow ship identification, only indicating that something was on the surface. Objects 30 meters (100 feet) tall could be seen at about a distance of 1,600 meters (one mile). Sufficient light was available when a camera was positioned shallower than 30 to 60 meters (100 to 200 feet).
Stella maris
In 2014
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology ( he, הטכניון – מכון טכנולוגי לישראל) is a public research university located in Haifa, Israel. Established in 1912 under the dominion of the Ottoman Empire, the Technion ...
researchers modeled a variant of virtual periscope on the image-processing technology used in astronomical observations to ameliorate the blur inherent in viewing stars through the atmosphere.
The technology behind Stella maris was disclosed to the public in a presentation at the IEEE International Conference on Computational Photography, held May 2–4, 2014 in
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara (; Spanish for " Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 census, making it the eighth-most populous city in the Bay Area. Located in the southern Bay Area, the cit ...
.
Associate Professor Yoav Y. Schechner of the Technion Department of Electrical Engineering explained the connection:
References
Bibliography
* {{cite web, title=An Airborne Virtual Periscope, url=http://www.technion.ac.il/en/2014/05/10770/, website=, publisher=Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, accessdate=18 April 2015, date=2014-05-02
Submarine warfare
Submarine components
Detectors