The global economic climate remained uncertain throughout the spring, resulting in attendance that was flat or slightly down at several major photonics trade shows. Yet in each case, these conferences and exhibitions brought out the best in terms of innovative technologies and new products. SPIE Defense, Security + Sensing in April felt the effects of U.S. government budget struggles and sequestration, but put on display strong advances in technologies for the infrared, unmanned vehicles, and simulation training. At LASER World of Photonics in May, the ongoing European recession could be forgotten amidst a formidable array of industrial laser manufacturers' booths and an additive manufacturing zone, along with many companies focused on products for biophotonics.
CLEO in June also faced the restrictions on federal research funding, and responded with excellent technical sessions and a rewarding series of market-oriented panels on topics ranging from opportunities for biomedical lasers to a useful technology transfer program. The CLEO/Laser Focus World Innovation Awards honored Femtolasers Produktions, Princeton Instruments, and TAG Optics, as well as winner KMLabs, which Milton Chang interviews in a new format of his Business Forum column (see page 68).
The potential commercial impact of innovative photonics products is readily apparent in our cover story on "smart glasses," also known as head-worn displays or, in one well-publicized manifestation, Google Glass (see page 33). Smart glasses may have major societal impacts, but so do or will many of the other technologies explored in this issue, from optical fiber (see page 45) to silicon photonics (see page 51), and from 2D infrared spectroscopy (see page 39) to 3D biomedical digital holograms (see page 55). Indeed, the local forecast for photonics innovation is for a fair wind with many new products expected.
Conard Holton
Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.