Light People: Professor Fanglin Bao and his cover story

Editorial Qu Yuan, a renowned ancient Chinese poet, once pondered in his work Heavenly Inquiry : “If the sun’s light is absent, from where does the radiance of the Hero Flower emanate?” The ability to see clearly in the darkest of nights has long been a sought-after magical power by humans. It holds not only immense technological significance for computer vision and remote sensing but also profound implications for transcending the dichotomy between day and night in our daily lives. Professor Fanglin Bao from Westlake University has made significant breakthroughs in this field, bringing us closer to a world where we can transform night into day. His groundbreaking research on Heat-Assisted Detection and Ranging (HADAR) and night vision was featured as the cover story in Nature on July 26, 2023. For this issue of “Light People”, Professor Fanglin Bao will share his research journey and the captivating story behind HADAR.