Progress in 3OM: Opto-Mechatronics, Opto-Mechanics, and Optical Metrology

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is based on the 3OM concept, which unites three related domains:

(1) Opto-Mechatronics is a blend of optics & photonics, precision mechanics, electronics, control & automation, as well as IT.

(2) Opto-Mechanics usually fills the gap between the high requirements of optical design and the capabilities of mechanical technologies, addressing tolerances, errors, positioning issues, and methods to tackle them. Kinematic and dynamic aspects of optical systems with moving parts are also approached, and this leads back to control & automation, but also to material issues, involving for example Finite Element Analysis (FEA).

(3) Optical Metrology is a large umbrella of applications that benefits from both domains above, and includes fields as diverse as industrial measurements (e.g., Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)), biomedical imaging (with a range of techniques, for example Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) or photo-acoustics), remote sensing, as well as security & defence.

The aim of this Special Issue encompasses all these three domains united under the 3OM concept. Analytical approaches, simulations, and/or experiments of optical and laser devices and systems, their optimization and inclusion in applications such as the above are proposed topics. Other fields that apply 3OM are also included, for example laser manufacturing and robotics, as well as lasers in medicine.

While this forum is open to all researchers in these fields, it also provides a selection of papers presented at the 1st International Conference ‘Advances in 3OM: Opto-Mechatronics, Opto-Mechanics, and Optical Metrology’ (Timisoara, Romania), organized in celebration of 100 years of the Polytechnic University of Timisoara, but also of 60 years of lasers and of the International Day of Light (IDL).

All types of contributions, i.e., research papers, reviews, and communications are welcome.

Prof. Virgil-Florin Duma
Prof. Jannick P. Rolland
Prof. Adrian Gh. Podoleanu
Guest Editors

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