01.20.21 -- Fiber Optics For Robotic Surgery | Optical Assemblies For Commercial Space Applications

For robotic surgery, light guides made from specialty glass fibers can deliver the high-quality light needed to provide a realistic and clear view of the surgical field.

3-D machine vision systems “see,” analyze, and make decisions to meet production requirements of high accuracy, speed, and low maintenance while also being durable enough to withstand factory conditions.

This paper reviews advances in the development of infrared zoom lenses that meet challenging SWaP requirements while enabling high-resolution vision and identification in harsh environmental conditions and constrained platforms such as airborne and portable systems. 

This white paper’s objective is to examine the suitability of silicon photodiodes as the transducer and to discuss the calibration accuracy, reproducibility, and stability that are likely to be achieved from a commercial company.

Designers have been known to “save the lens for last” when creating vision systems with very specific black box dimensions and lighting, resolution, and pixel specifications. One solution to this dilemma is a new and improved design approach called concurrent engineering. 

Manufacturers of glass hollowware have long sought a way to pick out defective product at the hot end of their process while the pieces are still above 200ºC. At that glass inspection stage, rejects are identified, then shunted aside and reprocessed efficiently, greatly reducing scrap. 

It is important that customers interrogate their short-listed precision optical assembly supplier, especially when manufacturing for exacting commercial space applications, to assess their ability to meet precision, reliability, and cost requirements.