IEE Electronics Division: Chairman´s address. Making measurements with light

The last decade has seen rapid developments in optical sources and low-loss optical fibres aimed at wide-bandwidth communications. The availability of these components has also encouraged the development of special forms of optical data highways and optical-fibre sensors as byproducts of this work. Several international groups are currently working on such sensors, capable of measuring strain, temperature, acoustic signals, electric current and rotation. Examples of various types of sensor based on both coherent and incoherent light are discussed. Coherent devices have the potential for highly sensitive measurements but are often limited by problems of extraneous pick up. The optical-fibre gyroscope looks most promising as a new form of rotation sensor which should be capable of simple construction in integrated optic form.