The world population is estimated to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. Ensuring an adequate food supply for such a large number of people would be challenging enough for agriculture. But climate change is putting even more pressure on farmers, agricultural…
Optoelectronic technology is a new technology formed by the combination of photon technology and electronic technology. Optoelectronics is the field of technology concerned with electronic device application to the sourcing, detection and control of light. Optoelectronics is described as “a…
An event camera, also known as a neuromorphic camera, silicon retina or dynamic vision sensor, is an imaging sensor that responds to local changes in brightness. Event cameras do not capture images using a shutter as conventional cameras do. Instead,…
Night vision devices are becoming essential equipment for night driving, night flying and night surveillance, wildlife observation and search and rescue missions. According to Industry ARC’s report on Night vision devices, the market is estimated to grow to $20.5 billion…
Optical communications make use of light waves, very high frequency (100 terahertz) electromagnetic waves, for information transmission. Modern optical communications were begun in the 1960s, when lasers were invented as a coherent light source. Since then, the rapid development of…
We see things because our eyes are sophisticated light detectors: they constantly capture the light rays bouncing off nearby objects so our brain can construct an ever-changing impression of the world around us. When our eyes see a three-dimensional image such…
Quantum key distribution (QKD), establishes highly secure keys between distant parties by using single photons to transmit each bit of the key. A unique aspect of quantum cryptography is that Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle ensures that any attempts to intercept and…
The extraordinary promise of quantum technology—depend on quantum “entanglement,” in which the physical states of two or more objects such as atoms, photons or ions become so inextricably connected that the state of one particle can instantly influence the state…
As copper reaches its speed limit, engineers look at optics to replace copper for very high speed signals. The electronic transmission of information requires energy – the faster the interface, the more electrical power is required. At very high data…
Alexander Graham Bell discovered photoacoustics by accident when he was working on the development of the photophone, a followup to his recently developed telephone that operated via modulated sunlight instead of electricity. You would operate a photophone by speaking into its…