Final Thoughts on AIO 2014....and the Best Talk Winner!
Arlene Smith, Ph.D.
On Day 1, Dr Brandon Redding (Yale University) presented his research on using a multimode fiber as a compact, high-resolution spectrometer. Reducing the dimensions of a spectrometer without sacrificing resolution is challenging. By increasing the length of a multimode fiber, the resolution of this instrument increases, resulting in a broad-bandwidth, low-loss system, with a small footprint (on-chip!) and reduced manufacturing costs compared to traditional spectrometers. Dr Redding’s presentation really stood out as a synopsis of technology that is on its way towards commercialization – which is at the heart of the scope of AIO – and was well-received by the AIO attendees. For these reasons, the committee selected Dr Redding as recipient of the AIO 2014 Best Talk Award.
A talk that receives a ‘highly-commended’ badge from me was Dr Tigran Galstian’s (Universite Laval & LensVector) Day 4 presentation on autofocus lenses for mobile camera technology. An electrically-variable, liquid crystal-based, GRIN lens is added on top of standard fixed focus cameras to provide a motion-less adaptive optical system. This cost-effective approach has been successfully applied to mobile phone camera technology to enable autofocus. This remarkable technology addresses the challenge of miniaturization of autofocus systems without the need for moving parts and has the potential to revolutionize LED lighting and ophthalmic products such as contact lenses and intraocular lenses.
These are just two of the many exciting emerging areas of research presented at AIO 2014. For a limited time, selected presentations are available to AIO attendees online.
The 2015 OSA Imaging and Applied Optics Congress takes place from 7 – 11 June in Washington, DC. Do you have any ideas for topics or sessions for AIO 2015? If you do, be sure to reach out to me or to the AIO General Chairs – the sooner the better!
