Anywhere Light Goes™ Blog
A blog about optical design, build, test and more.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Microscopy Applications – Removing the Need for Precision Imaging Sub-systems?
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is the buzzword of 2024 in nearly every industry—and microscopy is no different. The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into microscopy has further advanced life science diagnostics. By harnessing the power of machine learning and deep learning algorithms, AI-driven microscopy has further improved how we visualize and interpret biological samples. But one popular question remains: does the rise of AI mean the end of precision imaging sub-systems in microscopy? Let’s take a deeper dive. The Role of Precision Imaging Systems in Life Science Diagnostics For almost four centuries, precision imaging systems have been the backbone of microscopy. Microscopy sub-systems for life sciences, especially diagnostic applications, have made significant advancements in the last few decades. These sub-systems,...
The Optikos ColliMeter™: Taking the Guesswork Out of Focusing
Setting collimation is an alignment challenge faced by nearly every optics practitioner. There are a variety of methods for measuring collimation to guide this alignment process—some common ones are listed in Table 1. This table also identifies limitations associated with each method, which broadly fall into one of two categories: Source type restrictions Aperture size requirements of the metrology instrument Table 1. Common collimation measurement methods and the limitations of each regarding instrument requirements or collimator type. The scanning pentaprism stands out as the most versatile method by avoiding all of these limitations. Remarkably, it is also the lesser known technique, and consequently, no commercial instrument has historically been available. This led to the development and release of the Optikos...
Ask Optikos: What is a Projector?
What is a projector? The short answer is that a projector is an optical device that illuminates a surface patterned to a desired image and projects that onto a screen. But in this post, we’ll take a deeper dive into what a projector is, its history, and common design challenges in creating projectors. A Brief History The oldest projection of an image may be dated back to magic mirrors made in Asia thousands of years ago. A projected image was created onto a screen by a pattern embossed on the back of a bronze mirror. Curiously, when the reflected surface is illuminated, the image of the pattern is projected onto a screen even though the pattern is invisible by direct...
How to Go to Market Successfully in the Medical Device Space: Pre-Development
The failure rate for medical device startups can be as high as 90%. The question is, why do so many fall short? Is it due to funding challenges, the complexity of the technology, over-commitment coupled with under-delivery, a lack of understanding of the competitive landscape, or perhaps a shortage of engineering experience and manufacturing capabilities? Embarking on a journey from concept to market-ready product involves navigating a complex landscape of challenges and opportunities. In this three-part series, we'll explore the intricacies of product development through commercialization. We begin by delving into the proven Optikos product development process, known for its effectiveness in guiding products from ideation to realization. In Part 1, we will focus on Pre-Development, the first stage of...
Quality Statistics in Production: Using Data and Statistical Techniques to Improve Manufacturing Processes
For those of you that read In-Process Testing in a Production Environment blog, this is the second installment in the series. Anyone who works in manufacturing understands the criticality of measuring the performance of sub-assemblies and finished products on a production line — and that’s where in-process testing comes into play. In my last post, I briefly covered how Optikos employs in-process testing using various techniques in the manufacturing process. Performing in-process testing is neither the beginning nor the end of quality monitoring on a production floor. Effective in-process testing starts before components even get to the production floor. Catching defects in manufacturing is critical to having a low yield of failed assemblies. However, finding these defects during the build...
