PETER DYKES EVENT PREVIEW
Laser World of Photonics 2018
LASER WORLD OF PHOTONICS 2019 The Future Is Photonics
T he 24th Laser World of photonic components, systems and applications, and this year it has eyes on the future. One of the major themes of this year’s event is how the photonics industry will bring about the birth of Industry 4.0 by enabling innovation in a wide range of industries. The massive impact that photonics will have is reflected by the conference topics which include imaging and applied optics; digital optical technologies; optical metrology and biomedical optics. Professor Andreas Tünnermann, head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering and director of the Institute of Applied Physics at the University of Jena Human, says, “Eighty percent of interpersonal communication is visual. We record our surroundings dynamically in 3D and can interpret gestures and facial expressions accurately. We want to transfer these capabilities to machines using optical systems. So that humans and machines can work together and robots become real assistants, we are Photonics, held in Munich, Germany, from 24th to 27th June, 2019, is the world’s leading trade fair and conference for
optical applications (80 Tbps) surpasses electrical transmission (50 Mbps) many times over. In addition to that, multiple independent data channels can be transmitted over vast distances with low losses. Lasers for data transmission is also important, finding increasing traction in key organisations such as by the military, authorities, banks and other organisations. This technology only requires a clear line of sight and a distance within range. This technology has even proven effective for satellite communication in space. It is not difficult to therefore see why optical communication is a key topic for both the conference and exhibitors. Kevin Boll, product manager Speciality Fiber Group & sales manager Europe & SE Asia - Specialty Fiber, Rosendahl Nextrom GmbH says, “The LASER World of PHOTONICS exhibitions have been a good place to meet with existing customers, many of which are also exhibiting. And due to the large variety of attendees it has been a good opportunity to find and introduce our company to new customers both in commercial and research applications. Additionally, it is an ideal place to keep up to date on the latest technologies and end uses of our products which are displayed in the exhibitions.”
developing optical sensor systems that analyse human motion sequences in real time and, based on artificial intelligence, make them predictable. This is important not only for production in the future, but also for autonomous driving and to enable people to continue living in their own environment as they grow older. Photonics is the pioneer of digitisation: imaging, data processing and communication are conceivable only with the use of photonic technologies.” Our information society produces staggering amounts of data while growth rates keep soaring beyond imagination: While the total volume of digital data according to statista was 16.1 zettabytes in 2016, the prognosis for 2025 is a volume of 163 zettabytes, an increase of more than tenfold. Without the unprecedented transmission capacities of optical information technology, there would be no way to meet these exploding capacity requirements. Optical components and media for data transmission have some significant advantages over their electrical counterparts: Compared to copper cables, the utilisation of fibre optic cables is easier, more flexible and needs less space while it lowers the fire risk due to reduced heat generation. The almost unlimited bandwidth of fibre
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| ISSUE 17 | Q2 2019
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