•     Lasers
Mentioned above, the advancement of this tool over the decades has expanded the applications in which it is used. Not everyone carries a simple laser pointer on a daily basis, but lasers have more versatility than that. As most of the names imply, laser printers, bloodless surgery, laser eye surgery and laser hair removal all require the use of lasers. Since optics deals with lights, there has to be some form of light involved with lasers, right? The acronym laser denotes that by standing for “Light Amplification by Stimulate Emission of Radiation.” The amplified light described in its name can be seen in the narrow beam that light lasers emit. The applications of lasers doesn’t end with these few; they are used in welding, latent fingerprint detection, spectroscopy and the next application on our list …

•     Optical disc systems
Back when VHS players and cassettes were the norm, people probably didn’t use a laser in a daily routine. But now, with DVD players, CD players and the rise of Blu-ray players, you’re using technology from optical engineering more often than you may have thought. While disc systems are still a fairly new convenience to homes, the first optical disc was invented in 1958. This disc was different than ones used in video players, but was an important milestone. The first disc considered to be an early DVD was registered to the U.S. Patent Office in 1961 and 1969 by David Paul Gregg. Both DVD players and Blu-ray players require a laser to read the discs. But did you know that many video games too use this same technology? As old as the Nintendo GameCube system, video game systems use lasers to read the game discs. The discs for the Wii and Wii U both also use modern optical engineering technology to function. So next time the kids think they don’t have the newest video game system, they can learn how modern they really are!

•     Lenses
Optics involves light, and how else do humans see light than through our eyes? Whether you wear contact lenses or opt for glasses, optical engineers have developed those lenses. Lenses work through refraction: the beam of light is focused through refraction within a lens. Depending on what needs to be focused, lenses can be concave or convex. There are also simple lenses and complex lenses (for example, bifocals) and many aren’t just used to help people see better. Microscopes, magnifying glasses, cameras, projectors, binoculars and telescopes all require lenses in order to work.

Next time you’re watching “The Shawshank Redemption” on Blu-ray, put on your glasses or just want your cat to catch the red dot from a laser pointer, you’ll have a better understanding of how engineers’ work on these items helps better them to make people’s lives operate more smoothly.