Figure 1a shows a slotted optical switch. An LED is mounted in a plastic housing, facing a phototransistor, but separated by a gap. If something moves into the gap, it blocks the light path between ...

A research team led by Professor Jiwoong Yang of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST has developed next ...

I am always on the lookout for ideas for simple test and measurement instruments that can be used on my workbench. Over the years, I have built dozens of little test instruments and home lab ...

In 1978, Dr Kenneth Hill, a Canadian physicist, first demonstrated the Fiber Bragg grating (FBG), an optical sensor able to reflect narrow wavelengths of light. During the 1980s, the technology was ...

Aging degradation and seismic damage of civil infrastructure pose a serious problem for society. One promising technology for monitoring the condition of structures is optical fiber sensing. By ...

Carbon nanotube: these structures have been used to create a new and flexible light sensor. (Courtesy: iStock/theasis) A flexible, ultrathin optical sensor that uses carbon nanotubes to convert light ...

A fibre-optic acoustic sensor that can detect a person up to 10 m away could soon be deployed in many demanding security applications. Jacqueline Hewett talks to David Hill at QinetiQ to find out just ...