How To: Build Night Vision Goggles with a Car Backup Camera and Monitor

Night vision goggles are awesome, but the price? Not so much. Luckily, you can make your own pair that will have you sneaking up on your friends in just a few simple steps.

For this project, you'll need to get your hands on an infrared LED array, on/off switch, 9.6 volt battery, and a car backup camera and monitor, as well as the box enclosure you'll be using as the shell for your night vision goggles. You'll also want to have a Dremel, drill, and hot glue or tape on hand.

This set functions using near-infrared light emitted by the LED array, which is picked up by the camera and displayed by monitor. With it, you should be able to see up to 30 or 40 yards away. All in all, the parts should come in at less than $60!

It looks fairly simple to assemble, and shouldn't take more than a day once you've gotten the components together. Check out the full tutorial here. There's no telling if this really works, since it looks like nobody's actually built one yet, but in theory it should work just fine.

If you're interested in other ways to make your own night vision goggles, check out these less complicated tutorials!