Innovations in imaging technology will be recognised at SPIE Photonics West in San Francisco as part of both the Prism Awards (for commercial products) and the Startup Challenge, a competition that will see entrepreneurs pitch photonics-based product proposals to business development and venture capitalists.
The Prism Award winners will be announced on 17 February at a gala event, while the panel of judges for the Startup Challenge will select six finalists from semi-finalist pitches on 16 February, and then decide on the top three pitches in the final round on 17 February. The Startup Challenge finals will be open to the public.
The finalists in the Prism Awards imaging and cameras category are First Light Imaging, Rochester Precision Optics and Stream Technologies. French firm, First Light Imaging, is a finalist for its C-Red One low noise scientific infrared camera, which will be commercialised this summer. The camera is based on mercury cadmium telluride electron initiated avalanche photodiodes (e-APD), which offer speed and sensitivity in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) region. The camera has a resolution of 320 x 256 pixels, a 24µm pixel pitch, and operates from 1.3-2.5µm wavelengths at up to 3,500fps.
US company, Rochester Precision Optics, has been nominated for a Prism Award for its CMOS Night Observation Device, a high definition camera sight that operates in bright sunshine and low light at night. The third finalist, Stream Technologies, will present its ColorFlow lens for hyperspectral imaging.
Among the semi-finalists of the Startup Challenge are PixelEXX Systems and Think Biosolution, both presenting imaging-based solutions. PixelEXX Systems will pitch its cameras that are the size of a grain of sand, while Think Biosolution will present its mobile application PulseR. PulseR visualises blood flow in real time from images of the face taken by a smartphone camera. The app can measure heart rate and respiratory rate.
The winner of the Startup Challenge will receive $10,000, $5,000 for second prize, and $2,500 for third, all funded by founding partner Jenoptik. Additional support comes from lead sponsors, Axsun Technologies and the National Science Foundation (NSF), and supporting sponsors, Edmund Optics, Trumpf, Open Photonics, and Knobbe Martens. Edmund Optics also will award the first-place winner $5,000 in products.
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