OSA announces winners of Enabled by Optics contest

JDSU has won the second Enabled by Optics contest run by The Optical Society (OSA). JDSU’s 3-D sensing technology prevailed in the company track and two separate entries tied for first place in the student track. The contest seeks to raise public awareness of the importance of optics and photonics technologies in furthering innovation and improving society, said the OSA.

JDSU of Milpitas, CA, was named the winner in the company track for its innovative laser light source used in 3-D sensing technologies. This optical solution enables a natural user interface with devices by incorporating gestures and subtle activities such as facial expression and heart rate into applications like gaming, where gestures can replace physical controllers. 3-D sensing technology in general offers great promise for applications in many sectors, including retail, security, manufacturing, biomedicine, smart homes, transportation and more.

Gustavo Almeida and a team of students at the Universidade de Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo, Brazil, tied for first place in the student contest for their video “Colors.” The video describes how colors are produced on electronic displays by explaining the red, green, blue (RGB) additive method.

Ethan Bratton, a student at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, AR was also named a first place winner in the student contest for his video “What Happens When We Watch a Movie, or Play a Game?” The video explains how a movie or game is stored on a disc and how a DVD player or game system reads the data on a disc using lasers.

“While the technical community understands the importance of optics, much of the general public is not familiar with what’s powering their high-tech lives,” said OSA CEO Elizabeth Rogan. “The Enabled by Optics program gives us the chance to highlight innovations while clarifying the science on which the products are based. OSA helps connect the excitement of optics and photonics to the non-scientific community through these efforts.”

Addressing the topic of “What’s optics got to do with it?” companies submitted a white paper that highlighted how their optics-driven technology affects everyday life. Student entrants each created a video that demonstrated how optics is a crucial component within a commonly used product. Entries were judged by a panel of experts, including members of OSA’s Corporate Associates Committee, researchers and businesspersons working in the optics industry.

“Interest in 3-D sensing continues to grow and expand into new areas, simplifying the way people interact with technology,” said Andre Wong, director of Product Line Management at JDSU. “JDSU is honored to accept the Enabled by Optics award and supports OSA’s efforts to advance both the optics and photonics industries worldwide.”

As the contest winner, JDSU is being featured in a campaign about 3-D sensing technology, along with an OSA-produced video showcasing JDSU’s innovative laser light source, which has enabled mass deployment of 3-D sensing cameras. Both student winners will receive a cash prize of US$500 All of the winners will be recognized at OSA’s Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics, taking place Oct. 19-23 in Tucson, AZ