Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is used for many applications including satellite imaging and air reconnaissance. HSI is usually executed with bulky hyperspectral-imaging cameras that are sensitive to misalignment, very expensive, and use prisms or gratings as dispersive elements. An alternative method of HSI is the combination of linear variable bandpass filters (LVBPFs) with silicon detectors. This allows for very compact, robust, and affordable HSI detectors that offer several advantages over conventional approaches.

FLIR offers the FLIR X6800sc/X6900sc: the world’s fastest MWIR 640 x 512 resolution thermal cameras for high-speed science applications. This thermal imager is designed to record 1004 fps at full resolution onto the camera RAM for up to 26 seconds.

Bristol Instruments’ model 771 is a high-resolution laser spectrum analyzer that measures the spectral characteristics of CW and high-repetition rate pulsed lasers that operate from 375 nm to 12 μm. Laser wavelength is measured to +/- 0.0001 nm and spectral resolution is as high as 2 GHz.

The new pco.panda is a sCMOS sensor camera system designed to provide high quantum efficiency with the lowest dark noise for applications including single molecule detection, bio- and chemi-luminescence, GSDIM, PALM, STORM, SPIM, and more. It also is housed in a compact, 65 mm³ package.

OptoSigma offers a wide range of application systems that includes microscope units, alignment systems, interferometers, bio-photonics, and laser processing systems. These application systems are designed for many specific applications including polarization measurements, vacuum and oven measurements, and glass and film inspections.

The OWL 1280 from Raptor Photonics is a digital short-wave infrared (SWIR) InGaAs camera in HD format, ideal for surveillance and scientific imaging applications including range finding, vision enhancement, astronomy, and hyperspectral imaging. The camera utilizes a 1280 x 1280 sensor for SCD that offers visible extension from 0.4 µm to 1.7 µm, and 10 µm x 10 µm pixel pitch for the highest resolution imaging.

Martin Ettenberg, with Princeton Infrared, gave us a breakdown on when and why you should use shortwave infrared imaging, and what this technology’s role can be as it relates to machine vision applications.

This year at Photonics West, Dan Ford with the Ophir Photonics Group talked to us about the importance of achieving laser consistency.

Jeff Briton and Dragan Grubsic spoke to us about some of the challenges involved in operating pulsed laser diodes and avalanche photodiodes in LIDAR for the automotive and sensor markets.

At Photonics West 2017, Gene Nepomuceno with Vision Research spent a few minutes with us discussing the three main factors one should take into account before selecting a high speed camera – resolution, frame rate, and sensitivity (with an honorable mention for transferring the data off of the camera).

At Photonics West 2017, Greg Staples focused on selecting different wavelengths for specific applications. Watch the video for wavelength selection guidance for precision agriculture, food sorting, mining, pharmaceutical quality control, and more.