SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics

Another year has come to an end, but Don't Stop Us Now: #PhotonicsWest is traveling at the speed of light, just weeks away. While we are Under Pressure to bring you the best event yet, we wanted to take time to re-introduce you to the four rockstars who make up the 2025 SPIE presidential chain: President Peter de Groot, President-Elect Julie Bentley, Vice President Cather Simpson, and Immediate Past President Jennifer Barton. ?? Be sure to say hello to these Cool Cats if you see them around the Moscone Center in San Francisco! ??

Scientists are rapidly developing next-gen MEMS deformable mirrors to help the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) image Earth-like planets, objects 10 billion times fainter than their stars. These mirrors use thousands of actuators to adjust their surfaces, suppressing starlight and revealing faint planets. Boston Micromachines Corp is focused on scaling up mirror size and enhancing surface quality. Their contactless MEMS mirrors, made with semiconductor processes, offer scalability but need refinement to achieve the 1-in-10-billion contrast required by HWO. "To reach the one-in-10-billion level of contrast requires a significant improvement to current technologies and ideally a platform in space, beyond the limiting turbulence of the atmosphere." Read more about the search for earth-like planets in the March/April issue of #PhotonicsFocus: https://lnkd.in/g8TtVghD

Learn to identify the fundamental concepts of neural networks and deep learning at #SPIEDCS. ?? Take Deep Learning Architectures for Defense and Security taught by Nasser Nasrabadi of West Virginia University and The Johns Hopkins University. What should you expect to learn? By the end of the course, you will understand the differences between neural networks and current deep learning architectures, how to formulate CNN and auto-encoders for feature extraction, and more. Early bird pricing is valid until 28 March. ?? Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gKqBwW-V

Tuesday night's?#SPIEsmart?poster session covered a range of topics, from the development of a dual-layer structured piezoelectric film, to adding proximity sensing to a soft capacitive force sensors. Meet some of the researchers who presented! Zhenjin Wang, Assistant Professor at?Tohoku University, is working on developing a dual-layer structured piezoelectric film for haptic applications. Haptic technology enhances digital interactions by simulating the sensation of touch through tactile feedback or vibrations. It enables users to feel more connected to devices by making interactions more natural and responsive. Junhao Ni, PhD student at?Technische Universit?t Dresden, shared his research towards a robust, low-cost, and stretchable matrix tactile sensor array with anti-ghosting capabilities. His sensor array has a low requirements for circuitry and is free of ghost signals, it is also stretchable, allowing it to conform to irregular surfaces providing a customizable shape. Chrys Morton, PhD candidate at?The University of British Columbia, and Ryusuke Ishizaki, Chief Engineer in Frontier Robotics at Honda R&D Co., Ltd., presented on their partnership towards extending feeling past the e-skin surface. They demonstrated their sensor designs on curved surfaces, mimicking those expected in e-skin applications. Sina Martin, Research Scientist at the Biomimetics Lab at?The University of Auckland, presented on her work with multi-layer dielectric elastomers to manage the swelling of battery systems. Volumetric swelling can lead to structural damage and premature failure, her proposed solution utilizes a multi-layer configuration of dielectric elastomers between the battery cells. We are excited for next year's?#SPIE?Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation poster sessions in Vancouver, BC!

Day 2 at #SPIEsmart has come and gone, but the excitement is still fresh! The latest advancements in smart structures and sensing tech were on full display. Featuring plenary presentations from Marcelo Dapino of The Ohio State University and John Madden of The University of British Columbia, technical presentations covering topics like artificial muscles, active soft materials for biomimetic robotics, and more! Oh, and we can't forget about the poster session, where we saw researchers from around the world present their work and connect with colleagues, friends, and future collaborators. You might just recognize a familiar face, take a look below! ????

It's #WiOWednesday, and we're celebrating women who shine in the world of #optics! "Resiliency is the greatest accomplishment in my career. Technology evolves quickly and you must keep the pace. Sometimes you invest in people, companies, or product lines that don’t come to fruition, not because of your effort, but because of situations outside of your control that you must overcome quickly — and with grace." Meet Melissa Kallos of the Advanced Photonics Coalition . She oversees all corporate, business, and communication growth strategies, working with approximately 100 #photonics companies. Read her profile in the 2025 #SPIE #WomenInOptics notebook: https://lnkd.in/gVhk37HC

Quantum and photonic technologies are symbiotic! ?? Celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology and the role of optics and #photonics! A recent #AdvancedPhotonics editorial calls for active engagement in shaping the quantum future: https://lnkd.in/gpCSRphf

Can you "sense" our excitement? Day 1 of #SPIEsmart in Vancouver, BC was a success! This is the meeting where we hear latest research in advanced materials and sensing systems for nondestructive evaluation and structural health monitoring. We were treated to plenary presentations from Stefan Seelecke of?Universit?t des Saarlandes, and Ming Hu of the?University of Notre Dame. We also got a sneak peek into the future of smart technology and its applications at the 25th Annual EAP-in-Action Session and Demonstration, where teams showcased their technologies including robots, silicone rubber-based batteries, and even DEAs for the restoration of facial movement! We had a great time connecting with everyone in Vancouver! Let us know what your favorite part was below.

Learn the latest in HMD design and applications at #SPIEDCS! Take the course, "Head-Mounted Displays: Design and Applications" taught by experts Jim Melzer, former Director of Advanced Technology at Thales Visionix, Inc., and Mike Browne, Founder and President of Vision Products, LLC. This course will allow engineers, researchers, technicians, and software developers to define basic components and attributes of head-mounted displays and visually coupled systems. By the end of the course, attendees will also be able to identify key tradeoffs for monocular and binocular systems. Early bird pricing is valid until 28 March. ?? Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/g_afPkCn

Discover the latest additions to the SPIE Press eBook collection! ?? Content Marketing for Engineers by Andreas Thoss, Nikolaus Fecht, and Max Mundhenke ?? Strategies for Success in Scientific Conferences and Publishing by David L. Andrews ?? Simulating Fourier Optics Using Mathematica? by Joseph W. Goodman ?? Exploring Light: Investigations for Optics Education, Second Edition by Judy Donnelly and Nancy Magnani Grab these new eBook titles on the SPIE Digital Library: https://lnkd.in/gSxu8AhV #NewBookAnnouncement