ZEISS Symposium "Optics in the Digital World"

Optics in the digital world is going to change how we gather, process and visualize information. The transformation has just begun, driven by a strong interaction of digital and optical technologies. While optical imaging is a key technology for data generation subject to digital evaluation, it is simultaneously affected and changed by powerful image processing techniques in the field of computational optics. Cloud technology enables information extraction, visualization, pre-processing and transmission of large and many data sets from instruments and provides platforms for sharing and processing of data from space-time distributed inputs. Visualization systems for augmented (AR) and virtual (VR) reality are currently undergoing fierce development, with applications just emerging.

In the new blog Optics Beyond, four colleagues from Central Research at ZEISS will provide regular updates on new developments in optics. They'll pay particular attention to topics where we're pushing existing technology and application boundaries and breaking new ground in optics. The ZEISS experts are taking on the challenge of making complex material interesting for the readers and ensuring that the underlying mechanisms are comprehensible. To do this, they'll have a look at what's currently needed and will explain the reasons for new developments, e.g. the ZEISS Smartzoom 5 in digital microscopy.

The first ZEISS Symposium 'Optics in the Digital World' was held in Oberkochen, Germany on 23 June 2016 and networked around 200 international scientists and leading industry representatives. The focus was on current questions related to optics and photonics. This scientific field makes digitization possible, but digitization is increasingly shaping optics and photonics.

Within the framework of the ZEISS Symposium 'Optics in the Digital World,' Professor Fedor Jelezko (University of Ulm) and Professor Jörg Wrachtrup (University of Stuttgart) received the ZEISS Research Award 2016. This prestigious award is given to outstanding scientists who perform research in the field of optics and photonics and promote innovations. The two award winners have been honored for their high-caliber work on quantum technology with optically addressable spins in diamond.

Professor Jürgen Mlynek, former President of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres and Chairman of the Jury for the ZEISS Research Award, provided details on the research successes of the two award winner in his laudatory speech. The main focus was on diamonds in whose lattice Jelezko and Wrachtrup deliberately integrated foreign atoms. The diamond very effectively shields these from disturbing ambient influences. This makes it possible to observe their quantum states, for which extremely complex apparatus is normally required, even under normal conditions.

Around 200 international experts discussed trends in optics and photonics at the ZEISS Symposium 'Optics in the Digital World.' The keynote speakers were Professor Laura Waller from the University of California, Berkeley, Professor Ingmar Posner from Oxford University and David Bohn from Microsoft. All three outlined the requirements to be met in the future by research. These are being shaped by increasing digitization and Big Data applications and are determining trends in optical technologies. These include computer-aided image processing, processing large datasets in optics, obtaining information from data, visualization for augmented and virtual reality scenarios (AR/VR) as well as computer vision and machine learning.

The Symposium in Oberkochen networked international scientists and leading representatives from industry. Meeting in the ZEISS Forum, the Symposium participants not only presented the current state of technology, but also identified and worked out where there is need for action in strategic research fields in the coming years. As future-oriented technologies, optics and photonics shape our society, science and culture. Other new important areas include communications, sensors, illumination and medical technology.

Around 200 international experts discussed trends in optics and photonics at the ZEISS Symposium 'Optics in the Digital World.' The keynote speakers were Professor Laura Waller from the University of California, Berkeley, Professor Ingmar Posner from Oxford University and David Bohn from Microsoft. All three outlined the requirements to be met in the future by research. These are being shaped by increasing digitization and Big Data applications and are determining trends in optical technologies. These include computer-aided image processing, processing large datasets in optics, obtaining information from data, visualization for augmented and virtual reality scenarios (AR/VR) as well as computer vision and machine learning.

The Symposium in Oberkochen networked international scientists and leading representatives from industry. Meeting in the ZEISS Forum, the Symposium participants not only presented the current state of technology, but also identified and worked out where there is need for action in strategic research fields in the coming years. As future-oriented technologies, optics and photonics shape our society, science and culture. Other new important areas include communications, sensors, illumination and medical technology.

Optische Technologien werden als wichtig für die Zukunft wahrgenommen, insbesondere in den Bereichen Kommunikation (90 Prozent), Datentransfer/-austausch (90 Prozent) und Mobilität/Verkehr (88 Prozent). Das zeigt eine aktuelle Umfrage, die ZEISS anlässlich des Symposiums „Optics in the Digital World“ bei deutschen Unternehmensentscheidern durchgeführt hat. Die Umfrage belegt zudem, dass die Befragten Virtual-Reality (VR)- und Augmented-Reality (AR)-Anwendungen sehr offen gegenüberstehen. Neben Kaufentscheidungen sehen die Befragten besonders in der Biomedizin und der Mensch-Maschine-Kooperation Einsatzgebiete von VR.

Auch im Bereich Produktion stufen 86 Prozent der Befragten optische Technologien als sehr wichtig oder eher wichtig ein, in den Bereichen Entertainment/Film/Fernsehen/Spiel und Erziehung/Bildung sind es immerhin noch 77 Prozent.

Anlässlich des Symposiums „Optics in the Digital World“ hat ZEISS eine Umfrage¹ bei deutschen Unternehmensentscheidern durchgeführt. Sie zeigt, dass Big Data von unserer Wirtschaft sehr positiv bewertet wird. Der absolute Großteil, 71 Prozent der befragten Entscheider, sieht die Datenströme als Chance für Unternehmen und Gesellschaft. Nur 19 Prozent beurteilen die Potenziale der Datenmengen nicht positiv.

ZEISS Instrumente generieren große Datenmengen und eröffnen damit Potenzial für Big Data-Analysen. „Die intelligente Nutzung von Daten kann in der Medizintechnik ganz neue Möglichkeiten eröffnen. Sie bringt Arzt und Patient näher zusammen, Patienten müssen weniger häufig eine Praxis aufsuchen und erfahren dennoch ärztliche Überwachung. Das spart Kosten und verbessert die Patientenbetreuung“, erklärt Stefan Müller, Leiter Digitaltechnologie im Bereich Medizintechnik bei ZEISS.

Fedor Jelezko and Jörg Wrachtrup are the winners of the prestigious ZEISS Research Award in 2016. They have been honored for their outstanding work on quantum technology with optically addressable spins in diamond.

The award will be presented within the framework of the ZEISS Symposium that will take place for the first time on 23 June 2016 in the ZEISS Forum in Oberkochen. During this event international experts will conduct discussions and identify trends and requirements in the fields of optics and photonics that are being strongly influenced and changed by the increasing level digitization in the modern world. These include, for example, computational imaging, computer vision and machine learning, large data in optics, and virtual and augmented reality.