JDSU’s 3-D sensing contributions to video gaming have won the company top honors in the second annual Enabled by Optics contest. Sponsored by The Optical Society (OSA) and Photonics Media, the contest seeks to raise public awareness of the importance of optics and photonics technologies in furthering innovation and positively impacting society. JDSU - The World Depends on Optics In addition to JDSU’s recognition, two student video entries describing optical data storage and color were chosen as winners. JDSU, of Milpitas, Calif., is the creator of the Cobra near-infrared laser light source that enables gesture and facial recognition for the Xbox One video game system. OSA said 3-D sensing technology shows promise for retail, security, manufacturing, biomedicine, smart homes, transportation and other applications. Gustavo Almeida and fellow students at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil tied for first place in the student contest for their video, “Colors.” The video describes how colors are produced on electronic displays by explaining the red-green-blue (RGB) additive method. Colors Ethan Bratton, a student at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Ark., was also named a winner in the student contest for his video, “What Happens When We Watch a Movie or Play a Game?” The video explains how information is stored on a disc and how a DVD player or game system reads the data on a disc using lasers. What Happens When We Watch a Movie, or Play a Game? “While the technical community understands the importance of optics, much of the general public is not familiar with what’s powering their high-tech lives,” said OSA CEO Elizabeth Rogan. “The Enabled by Optics program gives us the chance to highlight innovations while clarifying the science on which the products are based.” Company white papers and student videos were judged by a panel of experts, including members of the OSA, Photonics Media staff, researchers and businesspersons working in the optics industry. The winners will be recognized at OSA’s annual meeting, Frontiers in Optics, next month in Tucson, Ariz. For more information, visit www.osa.org.