X-MINING Near-infrared light be used to prevent covert photopgraphy is possible? Athlete's Uniforms

Voyeurism in sports events and movie theaters have become a significant problem. In November 2020, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and other sports governing bodies declared their commitment to “countermeasures against voyeurism.

In this article, we introduce efforts to prevent voyeurism in sports events using our product, particularly the application of “infrared cameras.”

“Near infrared rays” is one of the type of sunlight as ultraviolet rays. Sunlight is classified into three categories based on wavelength: infrared rays, visible light, and ultraviolet light. Near infrared rays refers to wavelengths longer than visible light, while ultraviolet light refers to wavelengths shorter than visible light.

Near infrared rays are electromagnetic waves with a wavelength of approximately 0.7-2.5 μm and have a wavelength close to that of visible red light. Since it is close to visible light, it can be used in various places as “invisible light”.

For example, near infrared rays include remote controls for infrared cameras and home appliances, and venous authentication, a type of infrared communication and biometric authentication.

While the near-infrared rays are useful in our daily lives, there is no end to the number of victims of voyeurism based on near-infrared rays and using near-infrared cameras.
At the Tokyo Olympic held in 2021, there were discussions about voyeurism and the leakage of sexually explicit images of female athletes using infrared cameras.
In particular, uniforms with exposed skin have become the target of voyeuristic photographers, and the photos are posted on the Internet. In recent years, not only visible light cameras but also infrared cameras have been used to capture images of underwear and body parts inside uniforms, and more sophisticated techniques are being used every year.

The Japan Association of Athletics and The Inter-University Athletic Union of Japan have taken this issue seriously and have implemented security measures such as setting up restricted areas where only authorized individuals can take photos and conducting patrols within the stadiums. However, it is not possible to eliminate the problem completely. In response to the seriousness of the issue, the “Act on Punishment for Acts of Taking Voyeuristic Photographs, etc.” was enacted on July 13, 2023, to regulate the crime of photography.

The act of using an infrared camera to see through athletes’ uniforms and take photos is subject to punishment under the crime of photography. However, lawyers have pointed out that there are still challenges. They say, “It is difficult to draw a line between a perspective that is sexual and one that is not, as it involves shooting over clothing.”

Some companies have developed a fabric having anti infrared transparent using our Near-infrared absorbing materials. This fabric is made of a special material with excellent absorption properties in the near-infrared region to achieve preventive measures against voyeurism. This fabric uses a special material with excellent absorption properties in the near-infrared region to prevent voyeurism.

Takisada Nagoya Co., Ltd. has developed a new heat-storing and heat-retaining material called “WarmdArt™” that uses the renewable energy of sunlight. It absorbs the wavelengths of near-infrared rays and is expected to be effective in preventing sneak shots by infrared cameras.

Sumitomo Metal Mining(SMM)’near-infrared absorbing materials SOLAMENT™ has the property of strongly absorbing light at wavelengths between 800 and 1,200 nm, a wavelength that accounts for about 40% of the energy of sunlight. Fabrics with infrared-blocking properties using these materials have been developed and are being used as a preventive measure against voyeurism.

SOLAMENT™ is materials using CWO™, which have strong capacity to absorb near infrared rays and is SMM’s original materials with patents and trademarks in Japan and abroad that we invented.

Learn more about the near-infrared absorbing materials from Sumitomo Metal Mining.

In the fashion industry, the emphasis on design rather than functionality was placed on the uniforms of athletes, and this was a trend in which fixed ideas such as “fashion and functionality are contradictory to each other” persisted.

Nevertheless, the near infrared absorbing materials can be applied to a wide variety of fabrics and colors due to their high transparency. They also offer ease of movement and can be fashionably designed while being functional.

Functional test by infrared camera photography using a mannequin (photography test)
Compared to the fabric on the left side (general clothing), the fabric on the right side (Clothing using SOLAMENT™) is not transparent.

The above photograph shows an experiment in clothing using a near-infrared absorbing material. It can be seen that the clothing using SOLAMENT™ (right side) is less transparent than the general one (left side), even when photographed with an infrared camera.

Please see below for details on this initiative.
<dialogue>Textile Revolution through Co-Creation Applying SOLAMENT™

Near-infrared absorbing materials can be applied to various applications.
The following examples are available:

• Camera’s noise filter
• Clothing such as warm and quick-drying materials

CWO™️-Based Textile Revolution Pioneered through Co-Creation by Three Companies

• Preventing room temperature rise in agricultural greenhouses in midsummer

Preventing Excessive Temperatures in Greenhouses

• Example page linking to keep room temperature comfortable in a large glass window building
• Cut only the hot wire while keeping the brightness on the roof of the soccer stadium

Preventing High Temperatures in Glass Buildings

We introduced the problem of spy photography by near-infrared cameras and a case study of improving the functionality of athletes’ uniforms by using our near-infrared absorbing material as a preventive measure.

If you are interested in our near-infrared absorbing materials, please contact us.

Click here for more details about Near-infrared absorbing materials.