2023 Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation
This year, the Prism Awards celebrated 15 years at SPIE Photonics West. This annual competition, created by SPIE and their media partner Photonics Media, recognizes companies and individuals across the globe who have contributed to the optics and photonics industry through innovative products that make a difference.
Our team has previously attended this informative conference, and even celebrated with our friends at TERA-print for their winning TERA-Fab™ E series instrument (the first commercial Beam Pen Lithography tool) in the Life Sciences category.
If you haven’t had the chance to attend a SPIE Photonics West Conference yet, our team highly recommends that you find an opportunity to attend in the future. Whether you’re looking to explore the newest technologies or you want to network with some of the brightest minds in photonics, SPIE Photonics West always shares the latest and greatest in advanced light-based technology.
The 2023 Prism Awards had 8 different categories with 24 total finalists. Winners were announced at SPIE Photonics West on February 1st, and eligible participants included those who had launched their product between Photonics West 2022 through September of 2022. Additionally, these products must already be on the market for sale. The DLi team was not able to attend the ceremony this year, but we want to bring attention to the cutting-edge photonics technology that is being used to improve the world.
Category is: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality
This year’s AR, VR, and MR finalists took reality-based immersion technologies to new sizes by introducing the world’s smallest AR display, single wafer full-color or tuneable-color displays, and a standalone, scalable, lightweight AR device.
- Magic Leap – Finalist
- Porotech – Finalist
- TriLite Technologies – Winner
Category is: Biomedical
This year’s finalists showcased their innovative design skills with a side-fire surgical optical tool for precise tissue targeting, an all-in-one pattern laser and delivery device, and a low cost and portable retina imaging device – all working towards improving the technology used in life sciences.
- InnovaQuartz LLC – Finalist
- Norlase – Finalist
- Philophos, Inc. – Winner
Category is: Lasers
Cutting through the competitors, this year’s finalists include a single-housing MIR tunable picosecond laser, the world’s fastest LiFi system, and a high-powered narrow-linewidth fiber laser for quantum applications.
- EKSPLA – Finalist
- Kyocera SLD Laser – Winner
- NKT Photonics – Finalist
Category is: Test and Measurement
This year’s nominees for test and measurement designed some truly groundbreaking products, including the world’s first and only near-eye display measurement products, a surface measurement system to ensure high quality coating for the automotive industry, and an industrial-focused scanner that drastically cuts down time for measurement, inline inspection, and quality control.
- 4D Technology – Finalist
- Gamma Scientific – Finalist
- Precitec Optronik GmbH – Winner
Category is: Cameras and Imaging
Cameras and imaging devices are everywhere in our daily lives and in a variety of different shapes and sizes, the products selected for this category go beyond what human eyes can see with a low-cost and small polarized camera, a multicolor imaging and multi-opsin stimulation solution for in vivo calcium imaging and optogenetics, and a fully 3D-printed micro camera objective that can be glued directly onto the cover-glass of an imaging sensor.
- Metalenz – Winner
- Neurescence – Finalist
- Printoptix GmbH – Finalist
Category is: Sensors
There are a wide variety of applications for sensor technology, and the companies recognized didn’t fall short in representing the different uses. Products nominated include an element that eliminates the need for collimator optics to transform 3D sensing applications, an industrial, high-throughput sensing system for in-line scrap sorting in difficult environments, and the world’s first smartphone-compatible SWIR camera.
- NIL Technology – Finalist
- Ocean Insight – Winner
- Stratio, Inc., BeyonSense – Finalist
Category is: Software
High-speed raw image data compression, a virtual lab for fast physical optics system modeling, and an exclusive AI program that allows users to build and customize metalenses; advances in software continue to speed up processing time alongside creating an easier and more efficient user experience.
- Dotphoton – Winner
- LightTrans International GmbH – Finalist
- Synopsys – Finalist
Category is: Quantum Tech
With SPIE’s introduction of the Quantum West Conferences, this category was sure to be tight competition. The recognized products in this category include a turnkey quantum photonic processor, a quantum memory device that brings real-world quantum internet closer to realization, and a laser platform tailored for quantum technologies.
- QuiX Quantum – Winner
- Qunnect – Finalist
- Vexlum – Finalist
At DLi, we are not only experts in DLP interface and electronic controller board design, but we also specialize in custom optics and prototype development. As we continue to help our partners push the boundaries of light exploration, it is important to look at how DLP can accelerate innovation in new product development. With a custom DLP projector, our partners can create more affordable and versatile technologies — transforming their industry through the use of DLP. Reach out to the DLi team today for your DLP needs.
