Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Saskatchewan have developed a ball-shaped VR display that supports up to two users at a time, using advanced calibration and graphics rendering techniques that produce a complete, distortion-free 3D image even when viewed from multiple angles. Virtual reality spherical display. Courtesy of Clare Kiernan, UBC. The system, which the researchers are calling Crystal, includes a 24-inch hollow ball-shaped display. The display surface was custom-made, while four high-speed projectors and one camera used for creating...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESSailors Use Augmented Reality to Train for CombatAn augmented reality (AR) environment is being tested as a training tool for sailors and marines who must train and remain proficient while at sea. The Tactically Reconfigurable Artificial Combat...Photonics.com 7/26/2019New Laser Technique Captures Dynamic Processes of Quantum MaterialsA new extreme-ultraviolet (UV) laser source, developed at the University of British Columbia (UBC), enables time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, a technique for visualizing electron scattering...Photonics Spectra February 2020 IssueLens-Free, Multicolor Holography Technique Could Enable Compact 3D DisplaysA holography technique based on computer-generated holograms (CHGs), developed by a team at Duke University, produces complex, multicolor holographic images without any bulky optical components. The...Photonics.com 1/28/2019AR, VR Markets Primed for Rapid GrowthAfter experiencing incremental gains over the past decade, the augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) markets are poised for swift advancement as the technologies mature and find new uses. Market...EuroPhotonics Summer 2019 IssuePRODUCTSTest Displays Within AR/VR HeadsetsTest the visual performance of displays in augmented and virtual reality headsets using a scientific-grade imaging system with the size and efficiency needed for production inspection. The Radiant...Promoted Content March 2020 IssueMIPI Sensor ModulesThe 4K line of Sony MIPI Sensor Modules from iENSO is meant for off-the-shelf integration of embedded imaging, wireless, and display systems. The line currently includes the Sony IMX317,...Photonics.com 9/18/2020Global Shutter SensorThe backside-illuminated, global shutter OG01A image sensor from OmniVision Technologies Inc. features a 2.2-μm pixel size and combines PureCel Plus-S pixel technology with Nyxel NIR technology to...Vision Spectra Winter 2019 IssueTime Delay Integration CameraThe Linea HS time delay integration (TDI) camera from Teledyne DALSA is based on multi-array sensor architecture with a 300-kHz line rate. The 16k camera offers 5 GP/s data throughput for...Photonics Spectra July 2019 IssuePHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESOTDRs: Finding the Weak Spots in Fiber Links: The optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is used to characterize a fiber optic span. It performs single-ended tests and can calculate fiber attenuation and uniformity and splice and connector losses. It can also locate breaks and determine fiber length. Its ability to locate and measure reflectance and loss makes it the troubleshooting and fault locating equipment of choice. New generation OTDRs include advanced functions such as macrobend location, active-fiber testing and automatic trace acquisition.An optical time-domain reflectometer sends short pulses of light into a fiber and measures its reflections as a function of time. The delay of these reflections to the detector as well as their...Photonics HandbookSemiconductor Lasers: An Overview of Commercial Devices: Within only a few decades, the semiconductor laser diode has evolved into a family of robust, reliable devices, with individual conversion efficiencies of better than 60 percent, continuous output powers of several kilowatts, modulation rates of several tens of gigahertz, and wavelengths from 0.4 to beyond 2 µm. This article discusses the structures and characteristics of the most common commercial varieties.Laser diodes vary widely in their wavelengths, powers, spectra and beam quality. Yet they share two fundamental components with all other lasers: an optical amplifier and a resonator that confines...Photonics HandbookHyperspectral Imaging Spectroscopy: A Look at Real-Life Applications: Spectral imaging has grown from an expensive research-oriented technique to one that is applicable for a wide range of scientific and industrial applications. This article looks at real-life systems, the arrangement of the instrumentation and examples in process control and monitoring.Hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy has developed dramatically from a large, complex, remote-sensing satellite- or aircraft-based system into a rugged, compact, economically priced imaging and...Photonics HandbookHigh-Speed Video: Selecting a Slow-Motion Imaging System: The demand for high-speed imaging has increased for a broad range of applications, from automotive crash testing to animal behavior to product component performance.There is a growing market for imaging systems that provides an immediate, slow-motion view of a process that allows one to see events that happen too quickly for the human eye to perceive or...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSDesign Your AR/VR System with 2D-Q Freeforms in CODE VThe most challenging optical designs today need precise non-spherical surface shapes. A surface formulation specified by G.W. Forbes describes a “freeform” surface with orthogonal polynomial...Photonics.com 8/1/2019Automated Solutions for SAE Standard HUD MeasurementHead-up display (HUD) technology is one of the largest growth areas in the automotive market, and standard measurement criteria are rapidly being defined to evaluate augmented projections for visual...Photonics.com 9/1/2019Using Imaging Colorimeters to Correct OLED, MicroLED, and Other Emissive DisplaysImaging colorimeters can improve OLED and microLED display production by ensuring visual quality of displays — measuring brightness and color uniformity at the pixel and subpixel level to correct...Photonics.com 3/20/2020Applying the CoaXPress Interface in Multi-Camera Machine Vision SystemsCoaXPress is s smart choice when it comes to interfacing to multi-camera machine vision systems. This white paper highlights its advantages over other interfaces and highlights the strengths of...Photonics.com 9/11/2020WEBINARSOLED Display Technology Update and ForecastBarry Young, CEO of the OLED Association and an authority on the technology, presents a broad look at display applications utilizing OLEDs. In 2015, OLED displays had revenues of US$13.5b and it is...Photonics.com 5/12/2016Quantum Dots Are Making Displays Brighter and Photomedicine BetterIf you are interested in learning how QDs are currently used in displays and how the same materials are being engineered to yield even brighter, more efficient, better colors for future displays,...Photonics.com 4/23/2019OLED Microdisplays: Advancing Virtual and Augmented Reality Smart GlassesData glasses and wearables like fitness trackers are changing the way many of us live, as well as enhancing vision capabilities in industry and defense. In this webinar sponsored by Radiant Vision...Photonics.com 1/19/2017Optics and AstronomyWhat tools and equipment will be needed for 21st century astronomy? In this webinar, you will learn about innovative optical approaches to astronomy to support research at a global level. The...Photonics.com 6/20/2018PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSaddressabilityIn display technology, an expression of resolution given by the number of pixels in both the horizontal and the vertical axes of a cathode-ray tube or similar device.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009tracking1. The process of following an object's movement; accomplished by focusing a radar beam on the reticle of an optical system on the object and plotting its bearing and distance at specific intervals....EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009radially variable reflectivity optic (RVR optic)A reflecting optic whose reflectivity is a function of the radial distance from the optic axis; can be used to convert a Gaussian beam to one of uniform cross section.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009mutual coherent function (MCF)A function that quantifies the performance degradation of coherent communications systems, imaging systems and all systems that rely on the spot size of a laser beam that has propagated along an...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009MEDIAProduct Demo: Display Testing in AR and VR HeadsetsEvaluating the visual quality of displays as viewed through augmented and virtual reality headsets requires testing from the vantage point of the user. Radiant Vision Systems provides a comprehensive...Photonics.com 10/9/2020Fundamentally Different Photonics - LIGHT MATTERS 03.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Trade Show in Austin, Texas, as new photonics innovations hit the show floor of the Austin Convention Center....Photonics.com 3/29/2018Light Matters Extra: Lightning Awards Luminate Rochester - 11/2017In this month's Light Matters Extra, we give you an in-depth look at the recent Luminate Lightning Awards. New York’s Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul was there and tells us why Luminate is important...Photonics.com 11/17/2017Binding Light in Optics and Photonics - LIGHT MATTERS 11.2017Tune into this month's edition of Light Matters for 'Part 1' of an exclusive interview with SPIE CEO, Eugene Arthurs, as he speaks about his upcoming retirement. We’ll also take you to Rochester,...Photonics.com 11/17/2017PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESVideotape RecordersA videotape recorder is a device for recording and playing back video tapes.Projection DisplaysComputer Graphics Equipment and SystemsDigital DisplaysCOMPANIESII-VI Aerospace & Defense Inc.As a vertically integrated provider, II-VI Aerospace & Defense is uniquely positioned to meet the critical and complex design, engineering and production requirements of customers in the...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' GuideFOCtek 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' GuideMeller Optics Inc.Meller Optics has been providing high quality optics to defense, medical, laser and industrial markets for over 50 years. Specializing in grinding and polishing of hard, durable materials such as...Photonics Buyers' Guide