Vision is so important to humans that almost half of your brain’s capacity is dedicated to visual perception. It’s no surprise that hyperscalers such as Meta, Microsoft, and Apple have bet on augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) – starting with augmented vision – to become the new machine-human interface. Since our eyes are the second most complex organ after our brains, it makes sense for AR/VR to replace personal computers and smartphones. However, many technical hurdles remain in electronics (the brain) and optics (the eyes). In my first blog post on trends in imaging design, I discussed how digital twins will foster mass customization and data optimization through end-to-end simulation of imaging systems, from manufacturing and testing to user experience virtualization. In this blog post, I will focus on how AR/VR is driving innovation in imaging design. Whoever thought that digital twins include only mechanical, thermal, or electrical components are missing the need for AR/VR systems to develop disruptive, optical, smart imaging systems.
Explosive growth in hyperscale computing and Internet traffic has forced designers to rethink intra-datacenter optics. Coherent fiber optics inside data centers are still expensive and the binary non-return to zero (NRZ) intensity modulation has reached its limit in terms of bandwidth.
Due to various industry standards, such as those for highway safety or automotive LiDAR applications, it can be important for designers to evaluate the retroreflectivity of materials in their optical systems by including light measurements of these materials in design simulations.
In the early years of computing, the most common data types were text and numbers. During the last 20 years, we have seen an exponential increase in the use of multimedia data types such as images and videos. In 2017, over 1.2 trillion photos were taken with consumer electronics, and multimedia data accounts for half of the data generated and consumed worldwide. The growth of image data is a direct consequence of the dissemination of imaging systems in multiple domains, from medical systems to smart mobile devices, automotive to manufacturing, and aerospace to defense and security.
As technology evolves, optics also evolve to meet the demanding needs of product development. Optical design simulations must be as accurate as possible, which in turn requires accurate characterization of materials such as plastics, diffusers, displays, and other surfaces used in optical systems. One of the most important tasks for an optical design team is to understand and reduce the impact of stray light on design performance. What is an effective way to do this? This is where light scattering measurements can be very effective.
LightTools celebrates its 27th anniversary on January 26, 2022. Since its initial launch, we have continually enhanced its capabilities, providing features and workflows that help designers bring illumination optics to market faster and more efficiently. In this blog article, we’ll highlight a few recent LightTools enhancements that meet the evolving requirements of illumination system design.
For a complex optical system such as the James Webb Space Telescope, structural and thermal analyses are key to modeling the effects of mechanical, gravitational, and thermal influences on the optical system. This helps ensure the system can perform as expected after being subjected to the rigors of space launch and flight. Efficient modeling makes it easier to understand the impact of external influences on optical system performance and will save you time and money when bringing your optical designs to life. Learn how Synopsys CODE V optical design software offers effective Structural, Thermal and Optical Performance (STOP) analysis, which is supported by Sigmadyne SigFit Mechanical and Optical Analysis Software.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a very large, complex, challenging mission, and the Synopsys optical engineering team has been privileged to be a member of the JWST Product Integrity Team throughout this demanding project. Launch is scheduled for December 24, 7:20 a.m. EST.
The Synopsys LucidDrive tool – part of the LucidShape product family — allows engineers to test automotive headlight models prior to manufacturing with virtual night-driving simulations. The latest LucidDrive release, version 2021.12, offers enhanced features to dynamically validate and refine pixel light headlamp models.
How can you split someone up and put them back together? This was the illumination design problem posed at the 2021 International Optical Design Conference (IODC), hosted by the Optical Society of America, now Optica. A member of our Optical Solutions team, Dr. Jake Jacobsen, used LightTools illumination design software to solve the 2021 illumination problem. Read how he produced the winning solution.
