STANFORD, Calif., Sept. 20, 2006 -- A novel biomimetic material -- a hydrogel or polymer that holds a lot of water -- is finding its way into artificial corneas and may promise a new view for at least 10 million people worldwide who are blind due to damaged or diseased corneas or many millions more who are nearsighted or farsighted due to misshapen corneas. The research was presented on Sept. 11 in San Francisco at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society by Stanford University chemical engineer Curtis W. Frank.Engineers and doctors partnered to create a biomimetic hydrogel for use in artificial corneas. Stanford...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESLight-Responsive Material Could Provide Basis for All-Optical ComputingA platform that could potentially be used for all-optical computing has been developed through a collaboration between researchers at McMaster University and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of...Photonics Spectra April 2020 IssueCrystals’ beauty more than skin deepCalling someone a “chameleon” is generally considered a pejorative. When referring to shifting colors in applications of science and medicine, however, it may be a different story, thanks...BioPhotonics Nov/Dec 2019 IssueAlgae-Inspired Polymers May Reduce Night-Vision CostAn infrared-transmitting polymer based on common low-cost materials may lead to low-cost night-vision lenses that retain focus while imaging at variable distances. The polymer, developed by...Photonics.com 10/29/2020AI-Powered Robot Could Improve Productivity, Reduce Defects in Optics ManufacturingA robotics technology startup from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), has introduced a new robot that can pick up delicate optical lenses and mirrors with care and...Photonics.com 10/11/2019PRODUCTSFixed Focal LensThe M112FM wide-angle machine vision lens from Tamron Co. Ltd. is designed for high-resolution sensors. The M112FM fixed-focal lens supports the latest large-format imaging sensors up to 1 to...Vision Spectra Autumn 2019 IssueLWIR Camera CoreThe Dione 640 LWIR camera core from Xenics BV is optimized to meet the demand for smaller size, lower weight, and lower power devices. Designed for the safety and security market, as well as...EuroPhotonics Winter 2020 IssueHyperspectral SWIR CameraThe SWIR-640 hyperspectral camera from HySpex offers 640 spatial pixels and 360 spectral bands, maintaining high spectral fidelity and optical quality. The device can be used in all field,...BioPhotonics Nov/Dec 2020 IssueIR Bandpass FilterThe BP 850-80 HT IR bandpass filter from Schneider-Kreuznach is designed for applications with IR high-power LEDs of 850 nm. The filters can join cameras equipped with LEDs that deliver...Photonics Spectra January 2021 IssuePHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESOptical System Design: Keeping the Coatings in Mind: The design of optical systems should balance the coating constraints with the optical and mechanical requirements. Understanding the key properties and limitations of optical coatings enables the system designer to improve the performance of the optical system.An optical coating engineer is frequently confronted with a difficult specification for a coating. Often the difficulty in the specification results from the particular form of the optical system. If...Photonics HandbookAdaptive Optics: Taming Atmospheric Turbulence: For more than three centuries, the Earth’s atmosphere has frustrated astronomers. The layer of gases that we breathe also distorts the images formed by telescopes. This means that conventional telescopes of more than a few centimeters in diameter cannot reach the resolution limit set by their optics.To Isaac Newton the problem was clear, and in 1704 he realized the effects of atmospheric turbulence on image formation. Just as heat waves shimmering above a hot patch of ground can distort our...Photonics HandbookThin-Film Coatings: A Buyers' Guide: The vast majority of optics used in precision scientific, industrial, biomedical, and military applications incorporate thin-film coatings on their surfaces. Therefore, it’s useful for almost anyone involved in the specification and purchase of optical components to have some familiarity with the typical performance characteristics, trade-offs and limitations of various coating types, as well as some knowledge of the capabilities of common thin-film production technologies. This article provides an objective overview of both these topics.What are thin-film coatings? The purpose of any optical thin-film coating is to modify the transmittance and reflectance properties of the substrate material to which they are applied. Most coatings...Photonics HandbookImage Processing: Turning Digital Data into Useful Information: Digital imaging provides the means to enhance features of interest while attenuating details that are irrelevant to a given application, and then extracts useful information about the scene from the enhanced image.Images are produced by many means: cameras, x-ray machines, electron microscopes, radar and ultrasound. They are used in the entertainment, medical, scientific and business industries; for security...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSSaving Vision With Light: Five Startup Technologies That Are Revolutionizing Eye CareEarly detection is critical for treating damage and diseases of the eye. Advances in the size, sensitivity, and price of optical components are enabling a new generation of compact, powerful, and...Photonics.com 3/31/2020Camera-based Observation in Laser Material ProcessingCamera-based imaging enables real time observation and feedback during laser processing. This paper gives you an overview about several methods of camera-based observation to find the best solution...Photonics.com 7/1/2020How to Specify a Custom Designed InstrumentWhile it can seem daunting to design a custom instrument from scratch, a well-organized preparation effort and a knowledgeable industrial partner can simplify the process and, more important, greatly...Photonics.com 3/4/2020Remote APIThe Remote API is a means of communication between a controller and a laser marking engine using Ethernet or a serial cable. The controller can be a PLC, a PC, or any other device capable of...Photonics.com 4/2/2019WEBINARSPhotonics for OphthalmologyPhotonics Media invites you to join us for our upcoming FREE digital conference, "Photonics for Ophthalmology." The event will feature several 15-minute online presentations on the use of light-based...Photonics.com 6/9/2016Emerging Organ Models and Organ Printing for Regenerative MedicineEngineered materials that integrate advances in polymer chemistry, nanotechnology, and biological sciences have the potential to create powerful medical therapies. UCLA professor Ali...Photonics.com 10/1/2018High-Yield Optimization: Streamlining the Path to More Easily Manufacturable Optical DesignsThe conventional optical design approach results in designs that are very sensitive to manufacturing and alignment errors, which means the optical product is difficult to repeatedly manufacture...Photonics.com 11/6/2019IIoT and the Future of VisionThis webinar will discuss how the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is advancing machine vision. Presenter Tom Brennan will discuss the enabling technologies in IIoT, including embedded computing...Photonics.com 6/19/2019PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSprism binocularsA pair of telescopes with prismatically erected images, mounted side by side with the eyepieces at the interocular distance of the observer. This separation is adjustable with a convenient millimeter...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009nominal ocular hazard distance (NOHD)The calculated normal distance from a photon source at which harmful interaction with the incident light will occur. Interaction distance produces the effect of MPE (Maximum Permissable Exposure) on...EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018stereoscopeA small instrument containing a picture support and a pair of magnifying lenses so arranged that the left eye sees only the picture taken with the left lens of the stereo camera, and the right eye...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009binocular magnifierA device having a pair of decentered lenses, one for each eye, that focuses on a single object as a magnifier. It is often supplied with a forehead fixture or an elastic headband to leave the hands...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009MEDIALaser Cannon & Optogenetics - LIGHT MATTERS 04.17.2013-Diamond Circuits -CLEO Tech Xfer -Injectable LEDs On this week’s show: the Navy will have a shipborne laser cannon in 2014, injectable LEDs and a transparency-inducing hydrogel aim to aid brain...Photonics.com 4/17/2013Light Controlled Gel & Private Space Telescope - LIGHT MATTERS 06.05.2013-Light Controlled Gel -Public Moon Telescope -Graphene Photosensor This week on Light Matters: a light-controlled get could help robots go soft, the first privately owned telescope readies for space,...Photonics.com 6/5/2013Faster Fiber & Telescopic Contacts - LIGHT MATTERS 07.03.2013-New Twist on Fiber - Fluorescent Fingerpringint - Cloaking This week on Light Matters: a new optical fiber puts a twist on data transmission, a telescopic contact lens helps the impaired see,...Photonics.com 7/3/2013Photonics on the Showroom Floor and in the Lab - LIGHT MATTERS 02.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you on a brief tour of the Higgins Laboratories at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Quinsigamond Community College and WPI received a $4M grant...Photonics.com 2/21/2018PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESEyepiece LensesBinocular MagnifiersA binocular magnifier is a device having a pair of decentered lenses, one for each eye, that focuses on a single object as a magnifier. The simplest binocular magnifier is formed by cutting pieces...DioptometersA dioptometer is a telescopic system having an eyepiece, a reticle and an objective. The instrument measures wavefront power in diopters.Metallurgical MicroscopesCOMPANIESFOCtek Photonics Inc.FOCtek provides customers with all types of custom manufactured lenses, Precision Optical Components, Polarizing Optics, Prisms, Filters, Coatings, Optical Systems, Crystals, Nonlinear Crystals,...Photonics Buyers' GuideLaCroix Precision OpticsOptics that Defend, Build, Cure and Discover The LaCroix name is synonymous with quality precision optics. Since 1947, three generations of family leadership have placed LaCroix Precision Optics...Photonics Buyers' GuideA.R.W. Optical CorporationARW Optical is your reliable manufacturer of quality optics and coatings. Beamsplitters • Prototyping through volume-production quantities • High-performance and durable optical...Photonics Buyers' GuideDiverse Optics Inc.Diverse Optics transforms optical systems from expensive, heavy, and complicated to commercially viable, lightweight, and simple. We manufacture custom precision polymer optic components and...Photonics Buyers' Guide