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Developed specifically for close-up inspection in high emission areas, two video cameras are available for the Convertible Viewing System. The RTC-3 Enhanced Chalnicon provides higher temperature and radiation tolerance than any others of its type, allowing use through several reactor outage cycles without the need for tube replacement. An LED ring is built into the camera's face. And, a 3:1 non-browning zoom lens with additional 2× analog magnification is included. The camera is interchangeable with the company's SC-18 shielded color RAD tolerant model which utilizes a high resolution SuperHAD (Hole Accumulated Diode) CCD coupled to a miniature 18:1 zoom lens. Remote Ocean Systems reports "outstanding results" from its installation last fall at TXU Corporation's Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant (Glen Rose, Texas).

DAVS 100, the Dual Aperture Visible Sensor from Rockwell Collins Optronics, Inc. (Carlsbad, Calif.) is compact, lightweight and rugged. It includes two paths, providing both wide and narrow fields-of-view. Selectable EIA RS-170A video output is compatible with various monitors and displays including Rockwell Collins' ProView SO35 monocular or head-mounted unit. Magnifications of 1.5-, 6- and 12-times empower target recognition from five meters to more than 400 meters (16.4 to 1,312.3 feet). Supplied with a rechargeable battery pack, the system also supports external input such as a thermal camera.

Imaging technology, for implantation in the body's sometimes caustic microenvironment, is a step closer to helping patients with degenerative eye disease one day regain some of their lost sight. In a collaborative effort with Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. (Sylmar, Calif.), researchers at the University of Southern California''s Doheny Eye Institute (Los Angeles) just received an Investigational Device Exemption from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Rockville, Md.) to begin clinical trials of the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System.

The second generation electronic implant, Argus II, essentially takes the place of damaged photoreceptors. It consists of an array of electrodes that attaches to the retina and is used in conjunction with an external camera and video processing system. While the first iteration of implants contained 16 electrodes, Argus II—with its 60 electrodes—should restore better visual acuity. The work is supported, in part, by grants from the National Institutes of Health's National Eye Institute (Bethesda, Md.) and the Office of Science at the Department of Energy (Washington, D.C).

Contributing editor and industry analyst, Lee J. Nelson, is at the forefront of emerging as well as evolving technologies for compute-intensive electronic imaging applications. Contact him at: 703-893-0744, lnelson@rcn.com or http://www.garlic.com/biz