Photonics in 2014: new site maps trends in advanced manufacturing, life sciences, aerospace

Jan. 29, 2014

Technologies such as lasers, elecro-optics, machine vision, and fiber optics will see important advances this year, and a new website shows how they will drive new applications and markets.

Conard Holton

Technologies such as lasers, elecro-optics, machine vision, and fiber optics will see important advances this year, and a new website shows how they will drive new applications and markets. The website is called 2014 Year in Photonics: Roadmap for Success, with articles, webcasts, and videos that forecast and explain these developments, selected by the editors of Laser Focus World, BioOptics World, Industrial Laser Solutions, and Military & Aerospace Electronics.

The free website is interactive and will be updated throughout 2014 to help visitors understand the impact of photonics technologies and product innovations, including those presented at events such as SPIE Photonics West and BiOS, SPIE Defense, Security & Sensing, CLEO, and LASYS.

Here are some of the topics and insights from each publication:

Laser Focus World for all photonics technologies: 2014 will be the year that technologies such as solid-state spectrometers, novel fiber lasers, and ultrafast optics impact developments ranging from research to manufacturing, and the year that new photonic applications for smartphones, head-worn displays, and atmospheric sensing make an impact.

Vision Systems Design for imaging and machine vision: New sensor systems and algorithms for imaging and machine vision technologies will drive advances in applications ranging from high-speed factory inspection, vision-guided robotics, and unmanned aerial systems to 3D mapping, medical imaging, and traffic safety.

BioOptics World for biophotonics: New lasers, optical components, and imaging systems will enable significant advances in fields such as optogenetics, photoacoustic tomography, and OCT—which in turn will impact therapeutics, diagnostics, tissue engineering, biomedical spectroscopy, and nano/biophotonics.

Industrial Laser Solutions for advanced industrial manufacturing: 2014 will see advances in fiber, disk, and direct diode lasers, which in turn will drive developments in 3D printing and additive manufacturing, cutting and welding new materials such as high-strength steel and carbon fiber reinforced polymers, and medical device manufacturing.

Military & Aerospace Electronics for electro-optics in defense, security, and aviation: Electro-optics will continue to take a central role for aerospace and defense applications in 2014, in which these products increasingly are the primary sensors for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Some of the most complex and sophisticated electro-optics today can be found aboard military manned and unmanned aircraft, as well as on patrol boats, armored vehicles, and perimeter security installations.

For more information and to visit the website: register at 2014 Year in Photonics: Roadmap for Success

About the Author

Conard Holton | Editor at Large

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.