by stephen | Dec 17, 2021 | Blog
The detection and mapping technology known as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) that was first developed by NASA and used on the Apollo 15 mission to map the surface of the moon is now leading to groundbreaking advances in driverless cars and robotics (and...
by stephen | Dec 17, 2021 | Blog
A laser ranging retroreflector, a special kind of mirror that always reflects an incoming light beam back in the direction it came from, was placed on the lunar surface fifty years ago by the crew of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, close to the end of their...
by stephen | Dec 17, 2021 | Blog
Geiger counters and other traditional radiation detection systems rely on a radioactive decay particle interacting directly with a detector. That means close proximity to radiation is necessary because the presence of decay particles drops sharply with distance. Now...
by stephen | Dec 17, 2021 | Blog
IRD Glass creates all the LiDAR components that are essential to the function of these amazing devices — including entrance windows, precision optical filter substrates, beamsplitters and precision optical mirrors. This technology, which was first developed by NASA...
by stephen | Dec 17, 2021 | Blog
Psst! Your fly is unzipped. This is just one potential use of the talking lasers being developed by the Defense Department’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWP). It’s a laser that can “talk” using a physics phenomenon called the Laser-Induced Plasma...
by stephen | Dec 17, 2021 | Blog
Scientists at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology have created a transparent wood composite that allows light to filter though. The material could be used to replace glass windows in order to reduce energy costs. Wood is 10x better at insulating than...
