“Distortion” might be the most widely misunderstood, or misused, word when it comes to optics. Many people will use “distortion” to refer to any aberration or error in a photographed image. […]
When you want to maximize the potential of mechanical inspection, consider the vast capabilities of thermal imaging. Thermal imaging is a cutting-edge technology that can help you see things otherwise hidden from view. That makes it an ideal and dependable tool for many applications, including quality control, failure analysis, and [...]
Defense applications are more demanding than any other type. That’s why mission components require durability and stable functionality above all else. Defense professionals cannot afford mission failure, or the consequences will be substantial. Therefore, optical lenses for defense applications must adhere to strict standards to meet requirements. [...]
One of the most critical devices for space exploration is the camera lens. Camera lenses allow research missions to take pictures and videos of their surroundings, which is invaluable for scientific research and public outreach. […]
Drones At Work: Part 2 — Surveying & Mapping Part 1 of “Drones at Work” focused on drones in the agriculture industry. We learned about how drones are constantly proving to be excellent commercial resources for farmers, significantly improving efficiency and reliability. In part 2, we will look at another [...]
The first ever automated underwater robot has now completed its first operation, diving down 500 meters and collecting a sample. The robot, named Nereid Under Ice (NEI), was development in partnership with The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and NASA’s Planetary Science and Technology from Analog Research (PSTAR) program. [...]
Hand lenses are utilized in many industries including jewelry but they also serve the earth science fields as a great tool to view objects at a magnified scale, on site and without the bulkiness of other magnifying devices. A hand lens comprises of 2 parts, the first being the optics [...]
In the past, 3D simulations of black hole dynamics have modelled plasma made of electrons and positrons as a continuum. Recently, and for the first time, a team of astrophysicists have calculated how individual particles of matter and antimatter swirl around a rotating black hole. […]
A C mount is a type of lens mount that is commonly found on 16 mm movie cameras, CCTV, machine vision cameras and microscope phototubes. A c mount adapter for a microscope without a lens in it, is merely a connector for a camera. What is seen is a ‘direct [...]
An optical beam expander (also known as a collimator or up-collimator) is a two, or more, element optical system that changes the divergence characteristics and the size of the beam. They take a beam of light and expand its size. They are also used to reduce the beam diameter which may [...]
