Optical and photonic devices are being incorporated into a variety of “smart” engineered products and processes because these lightwave technologies provide components for high precision, rapid data processing, flexible circuits, and circuit miniaturization. Optomechatronics focuses on the tools and technologies needed to create intelligent systems from optical and optoelectronic sensors and actuators, flexible fiber optic and lightwave communication, smart machine vision systems, reconfigurable structures, and embedded control. Course participants will develop skills and knowledge necessary to adopt an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to optomechatronic design. We will provide attendees with an overview of the basic concepts necessary to effectively combine optical, electrical, control, and mechanical technologies and will review the fundamentals of lightwave technology and optical systems. Emphasis will be placed on design methods for integrating optical sensing, actuation, and control. We will review several practical case-studies involving optomechatronic products and processes. System performance will be analyzed and benefits/limitations will be discussed.

This course provides an introduction to optical actuator technologies that enable light to be transformed into mechanical displacements or forces. The optically driven actuators can be interfaced with optical fibres and integrated optics to create “control-by-light” systems. Both indirect and direct methods of optical actuation will be examined. Throughout the course the emphasis will be placed on fundamental principles and system design. The design opportunities for utilizing optical actuation and control are illustrated by several innovative systems for optical micro-flow control, micro-pumping, micromanipulation, and lightwave propulsion.