OPIC, OPIE aim to keep photonics growing

Laura Marshall, Managing Editor, laura.marshall@photonics.com

Scientists, engineers and industry leaders from around the world will combine their expertise to keep the field of photonics on a growth path during the Optics & Photonics International Congress (OPIC) and Exhibition (OPIE), which will be held April 23-26 at Pacifico Yokohama. OPIC and OPIE are the only annual international photonics events in Japan that cover both science and industry.

In the OPIC plenary session, co-chairs Kohichi Shimoda of the University of Tokyo and Robert L. Byer of Stanford University will look at the past, present and future of laser technology; their remarks will be followed by keynote lectures on advanced laser sources and applications.

Pacifico Yokohama will host the Optics & Photonics International Congress and Exhibition in April.

OPIC 2012 had more than 500 participants from 23 countries, including invited speakers, presenters, panelists and special guests.

The OPIE trade fair will include Laser Expo, IR+UV Expo, Lens Expo, Medical & Imaging Expo, Positioning Expo, and Space & Astronomical Optics Expo.

Laser Expo, in its 20th-anniversary year, will feature a wide variety of laser applications, plus a special Laser Display Zone focusing on laser displays for pico projectors, laser TVs and automotive head-up displays as well as associated products and technologies such as high-output semiconductors, crystals and laser optics. This expo also will include the Laser Industry Award Ceremony.

The Lens Expo trade show will cover a range of lens design and manufacturing technologies, and the IR+UV Expo will focus on the growing applications for infrared detection, ultraviolet materials and more. A special Industrial LEDs Zone will look at lighting as well as LED products for industry. The Positioning Expo will offer micro- and nanoscale solutions offering speed, resolution and consistency necessary for many new research and industrial applications.

The Medical & Imaging Expo will feature biophotonics-related techniques and devices for medicine and research, from imaging and diagnostics to therapies. And the Space & Astronomical Optics Expo will examine a series of recent astronomical events that have captured the interest and imagination of the Japanese public, from the activities of Japanese astronauts to the high-resolution images taken from the telescope Subaru.

Also during OPIC/OPIE, SPIE will host the first SeTBio 2013: Sensing Technologies for Biomaterial, Food and Agriculture; this event will cover light-based technologies for plant factories and environmental control, precision agriculture and biosensing.

The event is organized by the Optics & Photonics International Council; the official language of the conference and exhibition is English.

For more information on the conference, visit http://opicon.jp/.

For more information on the exhibition, visit http://www.opie.jp/en/.