Abstract

Optics and photonics are key enabling technologies of the 21st century offering great potential for new applications in fields as diverse as medicine, environmental and prognostic structural health monitoring or aeronautics, among others. Many of these applications require the implementation of highly-functional optical sensor networks ideally realized by using cost-efficient materials with tailored optical, rheological and thermo-mechanical properties and by employing high-volume production techniques. Intense interdisciplinary efforts are currently under way to achieve this goal and need to address all relevant aspects ranging from optics and photonics to material sciences and micro-production techniques.

© 2017 IEEE