For this edition, Microsoft Kinect moves beyond the gaming world to control optical tweezers; a silicon photonics national action plan develops in Canada; and a Raman spectrometer will be able to tell apart 10 different types of German beer.
Initially developed to enable people to control Microsoft Xbox video games without the need of a handheld controller, researchers at the University of Dundee in Scotland have developed a technology that uses Microsoft Kinect-based gesture recognition to control optical tweezers, allowing anyone to pick up and move micrometer-scale particles using their hands and arms. Using Windows 7 and a Kinect, a whole body of small particles can be controlled. The interface allows users to "pick up" and "push" particles they see on a computer screen using just hand, arm, and body movements. The system was tested by moving around silicon microspheres measuring only a few micrometers across, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Kinect-enabled technology called HoloHands. With a little more development, it could give students an intuitive understanding of physics on this scale and how it differs from the macroworld.
Also, the Canadian Photonic Industry Consortium, CMC Microsystems, and members of Canadaâs photonics R&D community have taken critical first steps towards a national action plan that will help companies exploit the commercial potential of silicon photonics. The organizations had co-hosted a workshop on the topic back in September in Ottawa, with participation from Canadian, European, and Asian innovators, to facilitate discussion on Canadian R&D strengths, industry needs, and key opportunities in silicon photonics. Workshop outcomes will contribute to the development of a national roadmap that will help Canadian firms capitalize on the global silicon photonics market, which is expected to grow to more than $2 billion dollars by 2015. Workshop participants concluded that Canada has significant capabilities in silicon photonics, but noted that concerted R&D collaboration among universities, research institutes, component companies, and multinational network equipment suppliers is required to harness the true potential of this technology.
And finally, in contrast to the more-traditional approach of distinguishing between brands of German beer, Analog Devices and Wasatch Photonics will team up at Electronica 2012, to be held in November in Munich, Germany, to stage a âName That Beerâ demonstration using a Wasatch Photonics Raman spectrometer. Incorporating analog-to-digital converter technology from Analog Devices, the compact Raman laser spectrometer from Wasatch Photonics, the Stroker 785L, will distinguish from among ten brands of German beer by reading the signature spectrum of each. The spectrometer can identify substances by optically probing the inherent molecular vibrational fingerprints through measurement of the laser-induced amplitude and frequency shift of the scattered light, according to Scott Norton, vice president of engineering at Wasatch Photonics. For those of you who will be attending the Electronica 2012 show, the demonstration will be held at the Analog Devices booth in Hall A4, Stand 159.
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