# Idea for a sighting system



## zander1976 (28 Mar 2011)

Hello Everybody, 

White I was a game developer I spent a lot of time doing image processing for various effects. While on this site I found a link to a sighting system that reflected a targeting radical onto the scene. This got me thinking about post image processing effects that could be applied to a sighting system:

To start the system would need both a normal and thermal view ( random image from the internet as an example ):







Run an edge detection algorithm on the thermal image ( another random image ):






Finally overlay the thermal outline over top of the normal view:






In game dev it would be an outline shader used in cell shading. How to fit all of this ontop  of your gun.. Well thats a different problem 

Ben


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## Michael OLeary (28 Mar 2011)

zander1976 said:
			
		

> ... a targeting radical ...



Firstly, the word is reticle.



			
				zander1976 said:
			
		

> How to fit all of this on top  of your gun.. Well thats a different problem



Secondly, the practical problems of making any such proposal work (once you might accept that it provides a clear advantage to be worth the effort) are the real world limitations. Imaginary systems are just science fiction fodder until someone solves the real world issues of development, production and deployment.


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## zander1976 (28 Mar 2011)

Thanks for the correction.

HEHE, very true.  but then again my 100 dollar camera crappy camera can do head detection so they must be using some kind of edge detection algorithm in it. The real word advantage would be that camouflage would have no effect on someone that is highlighted. Generally speaking anything that is highlighted is easier to see and hit  

Ben


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## Michael OLeary (28 Mar 2011)

It will only be highlighted in your proposed system if the thermal signature is significant enough to be picked up by your outlining algorithm and the resulting outline is clearly identifiable as a likely target.  You may want to read into thermal imaging and the effects that different types of camouflage may have.

Google - thermal image ghillie suit.

Thermal Images of Custom Concealment, Inc.'s Thermal Ghillie Suit


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## zander1976 (28 Mar 2011)

Interesting suit. Thanks for the info


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## Illegio (29 Mar 2011)

Might be interested in the following...

Enhanced Night Vision Goggle (ENVG)

Take note at 2:14 where the thermal image overlay can be switched to "outline."

There was a company, name escapes me, out at the vendor's day during last years CISC who advertised a similar system, save that it produced a thermal overlay on a regular daysight. The imaging system was advertised as a weapon sight, but the massive size of the thing precluded it from being mounted on anything less than a machinegun on a tripod, in my opinion.

Considering the state of the ENVG, I'd argue that the technology to produce a sight like you're envisioning already exists, assuming such a thing isn't already in development/testing.


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## zander1976 (7 Apr 2011)

Illegio said:
			
		

> Might be interested in the following...
> 
> Enhanced Night Vision Goggle (ENVG)
> 
> ...



Cool thanks. Yeah I was thinking of using a thermal overlay on a regular daysight. The only difference was that I was thinking of using edge detection on the thermal overlay first so just the edges of the thermal overlay would be shown. 

Yeah, there is a very good chance something like this is or has been developed. 

Thanks, Ben


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## KevinB (11 Apr 2011)

OASYS down here already makes a system like that.

Most new thermal systems can be toggled to outline, or edge detect.


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## Angry56789 (29 Sep 2011)

zander1976 said:
			
		

> Hello Everybody,
> 
> White I was a game developer I spent a lot of time doing image processing for various effects. While on this site I found a link to a sighting system that reflected a targeting radical onto the scene. This got me thinking about post image processing effects that could be applied to a sighting system:
> 
> ...



Possibly not quite practical for a rifle at this point in technological evolution, perhaps this can be used to improve current RWS systems on vehicles.


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