Optics.org

RoboSense, the Shenzhen-headquartered manufacturer of lidar technology, has reported a surge in unit shipments in the first three months of 2026, driven largely by robotics applications.

Vector Photonics, a start-up based near Glasgow, UK, pioneering the use of photonic crystal surface emitting lasers (PCSEL) in secure communications, has announced the first successful public demonstration of PCSEL technology for optical communication outside of a lab. On 31st March, Vector’s PCSELs were used to transmit data across the River Clyde from the Glasgow Science Centre to the Clydeside Distillery, using a system designed and built byFraunhofer UK.

Intel Capital is among the backers of Israeli quantum computing startup Q-Factor, which has just raised $24 million of seed funding in pursuit of a million-qubit system based around cooled neutral atoms.

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, which serves a global membership of over 25,000, has this week published anassessment of theU.S. Government’s 2027 budgetand its implications for the science and technology sectors. SPIE analysis Though the President’s FY27 budget proposal makes selective investments in nuclear security, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies, it also proposes drastic cuts to some of the most key scientific agencies in the United States.

A project at China's Jilin University has demonstrated a method for turning natural leather into a flexible wearable energy source. Published in Optics Letters the findings could lead to wearable electronics manufactured in ways that are more sustainable than current approaches.

Researchers at the U.S.National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) have developed a new way to package photonic integrated circuits — tiny chips that convey information using light instead of electricity — so they can survive and operate in extreme environments, from scorchingly hot industrial settings to ultracold vacuum chambers and the depths of outer space.

The market for photonics packaging - defined as the way that photonic devices are connected to each other and the outside world - is poised to triple in value to $14.4 billion over the next six years. That’s the prediction from the Paris-based technology think-tank Yole Group, whose analysts suggest that rising demand for optical transceivers and co-packaged optics (CPO) inside AI data centers will drive most of the market growth.

Large photovoltaic power plants often comprise tens of thousands of modules and components. Whenever individual solar modules malfunction, intact bypass diodes can contain a strong power loss in the string. If the bypass diodes are defective, the solar module strings’ overall efficiency drops significantly, with economic losses, diminished output and reduced availability.

Research institutesISC Konstanz(Konstanz) andhttps://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en.htmlFraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), (Freiburg, both Germany) haveconducted an analysis of the market situation for photovoltaic manufacturing equipment on behalf of theVDMA.

CEA-Leti, a micro and nanotechnologies research institute, andCEA-List, a specialist in smart digital systems, have announced a strategic collaboration with Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp.(PSMC).The two CEA institutes of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) are known for their innovation in microelectronics and intelligent digital systems.