1971: FIBRE OPTICS - light's bright future? | Tomorrow's World | Retro Tech | BBC Archive

Summary

This script explores the advantages of fiber optics over traditional light bulbs, highlighting their safety, flexibility, and efficiency. Fiber optics, thin glass rods that transmit light without heat or electricity, are now more affordable due to mass production techniques. They are ideal for various applications, including medical procedures and traffic signs, where they offer precision, safety, and reliability. The script also touches on the aesthetic appeal of fiber optics.

Takeaways

• 💡 Light bulbs are hot, electrical, and vulnerable, unlike fiber optics which are cold to the touch and safe.
• 🌟 Fiber optics work by using a light source at one end of a thin glass rod, with light bouncing down the rod to emerge at the other end.
• 🔬 The production of fiber optics involves heating and fusing a central rod and an outer sheath, drawing them into a thin fiber, and winding them onto a drum.
• 📦 Fibers are assembled into bundles, bonded with epoxy, and enclosed in a tube for ease of handling.
• 💹 Advancements in production allow for the simultaneous drawing of 400 fibers, reducing costs by up to 20 times compared to previous methods.
• 🛠 Fiber optics can be bent and used in areas where traditional light sources are impractical or hazardous, such as inside the human body.
• 🦷 An example of fiber optics in medicine is attaching them to a dentist's drill to provide clear visibility without the risk of burning or electrical shock.
• 📋 Punch card readers traditionally use light bulbs to detect patterns of holes, but fiber optics provide a more reliable solution with a single light source and multiple tiny lights.
• 🚦 Fiber optics are used in traffic signs to avoid 'phantom images' caused by direct sunlight and to ensure fail-safe operation with backup lighting.
• 🚦 Fiber optic signs on motorways can carry bright light from a single lamp, saving costs and providing accurate, high-speed information.
• ✨ Fiber optics have aesthetic appeal in addition to their practical applications, as demonstrated in the script's closing remarks.

Q & A

What are the disadvantages of traditional light bulbs mentioned in the script?

Traditional light bulbs are hot, full of electricity, and very vulnerable.

What is a fiber optic and how does it work?

A fiber optic is a hair-thin coated glass rod that channels light from one end to the other by bouncing it back and forth down the rod. The light source can be placed at a distance, and the light itself is cold.

How are fiber optic rods produced?

Fiber optic rods are produced by heating the central rod and the outer sheath in a furnace until they fuse, then melting and drawing them off into a single thin fiber. As the fibers cool, they are wound onto a drum and assembled into bundles.

What is the significance of the mass production technique mentioned in the script?

The mass production technique allows for 400 fibers to be drawn off at the same time, which has significantly reduced production costs by as much as 20 times compared to the previous one-off production method.

How can fiber optics be applied economically due to the new production process?

The reduced costs due to the mass production technique enable fiber optics to be applied economically in many new ways, expanding their use to areas previously not feasible due to high costs.

What are the advantages of using fiber optics in medical applications, such as a dentist's drill?

Fiber optics can be used in medical applications like a dentist's drill to provide clear visibility without the risk of burning the patient's tongue or causing electrical shock, as they are cold to the touch and can be manipulated to reach specific areas.

How do punch card readers traditionally use light to identify information?

Traditional punch card readers use an array of miniature bulbs that shine light through the holes in the cards onto photocells, allowing the pattern of holes to be detected and information to be retrieved.

What is the fiber optic solution to the problem of bulb failure in punch card readers?

The fiber optic solution uses one light source and multiple tiny lights. If one light source fails, the system can still function because the light is distributed across many tiny lights, reducing the impact of a single bulb failure.

What is the issue with 'phantom images' on traffic signs and how do fiber optics address it?

Phantom images occur when direct sunlight illuminates unintended parts of a sign. Fiber optic signs avoid this issue because the tips of the fibers are too small to reflect enough sunlight to cause confusion, ensuring that the sign is only visible when intended.

How can fiber optics be made fail-safe for high-speed traffic signs?

Fiber optics can be made fail-safe by setting some fibers to monitor the light source and carry a sample light to a photosensitive cell. If the light goes out, the cell triggers a standby bulb in less than a second, ensuring continuous visibility for drivers.

What is the aesthetic appeal of fiber optics mentioned in the script?

Apart from their practical uses, fiber optics have a certain beauty of their own, as they can carry tremendously bright light in a controlled and visually appealing manner.

Outlines

00:00

💡 Advantages of Fiber Optics Over Traditional Light Bulbs

This paragraph discusses the disadvantages of traditional light bulbs, such as heat generation and vulnerability, and contrasts them with the benefits of fiber optics. Fiber optics are described as thin glass rods that transmit light without heat or electricity, making them safer and more versatile. The manufacturing process of fiber optics is also explained, highlighting a recent innovation that allows for mass production and significantly reduces costs. This innovation opens up new applications for fiber optics, especially in areas where traditional light sources are impractical or hazardous.

Keywords

💡Light Bulbs

Light bulbs are a common source of illumination, but they have drawbacks such as generating heat and containing electricity, which can make them vulnerable and potentially dangerous. In the video's context, light bulbs are contrasted with fiber optics, highlighting their limitations. The script mentions how light bulbs are hot and full of electricity, which fiber optics are not.

💡Fiber Optics

Fiber optics are thin strands of glass that transmit light signals. They are the central theme of the video, being described as an alternative to traditional light bulbs. The script explains how fiber optics work, their benefits over light bulbs, and various applications, such as in dentistry and traffic signs.

💡Light Source

A light source is the origin of light in any optical system. In the context of fiber optics, the light source is placed at one end of the fiber, and the light is transmitted to the other end. The video emphasizes that the light source can be positioned remotely, which is a significant advantage over light bulbs.

💡Electricity

Electricity is a form of energy that powers light bulbs but is kept at a distance in fiber optic systems. The script points out that with fiber optics, the risk of electrical hazards is minimized because the electricity is not in direct contact with the light-transmitting medium.

💡Furnace

A furnace is used in the manufacturing process of fiber optics. The script describes how the central rod and outer sheath of fiber optics are heated in a furnace until they fuse, allowing them to be drawn into a thin fiber. This process is crucial for creating the fine strands that make up fiber optic cables.

💡Mass Production

Mass production refers to the large-scale manufacturing of goods, which can significantly reduce costs. The video script mentions a new process that allows for the simultaneous drawing of 400 fibers, enabling mass production and cost reduction in the manufacture of fiber optics.

💡Epoxy Resin

Epoxy resin is a type of adhesive used in the construction of fiber optic bundles. The script describes how the ends of the fibers are bonded together with epoxy resin, which helps to secure the fibers and maintain the integrity of the bundle.

💡Dentistry

Dentistry is an application area for fiber optics mentioned in the script. Fiber optics can be used in dental drills to provide clear, cold light, improving visibility and safety during dental procedures without the risk of burning or electrical hazards.

💡Punch Card Readers

Punch card readers are an example of an older technology that uses light to read information. The script contrasts the reliability of fiber optics with punch card readers, which can fail if a single bulb goes out, illustrating the advantages of fiber optics in terms of reliability and efficiency.

💡Phantom Images

Phantom images refer to unintended reflections or visibility of parts of signs that should not be seen. The script discusses how fiber optic signs can avoid this issue, ensuring that only the intended parts of the sign are visible, which is particularly important for traffic and pedestrian signs.

💡Fail-Safe

Fail-safe design ensures that a system will automatically revert to a safe state in the event of a malfunction. The video script explains how fiber optic signs can be made fail-safe, with fibers monitoring the light source and triggering a backup bulb if the primary light fails, ensuring continuous operation and safety.

💡Photosensitive Cell

A photosensitive cell is a device that responds to light. In the context of fail-safe fiber optic signs, the script describes how some fibers can carry a sample of light to a photosensitive cell, which triggers a backup bulb if the primary light source goes out, demonstrating the responsiveness and reliability of fiber optic systems.

Highlights

Light bulbs are hot, electrical, and vulnerable, whereas fiber optics are cold, non-electrical, and safer.

Fiber optics are thin coated glass rods that transmit light without heat or electricity.

Fiber optic light can be directed to various locations, including inside the human body.

Fiber optic rods are created by heating and fusing a central rod and outer sheath, then drawing them into thin fibers.

Fiber optic fibers are wound onto a drum as they cool and assembled into bundles for handling.

Mass production techniques have reduced the cost of fiber optics by up to 20 times.

Fiber optics can be applied economically in new ways due to reduced production costs.

Fiber optics can be bent, allowing for versatile lighting solutions in impractical or dangerous areas.

Fiber optics on a dentist's drill could provide clear visibility without the risk of burning or electrical shock.

Punch card readers can be improved with fiber optics, using one light source and multiple tiny lights.

Fiber optics can be used to count passing objects by reflecting light back up a receiving bundle of fibers.

Fiber optic signs can eliminate 'phantom images' caused by direct sunlight on pedestrian signs.

Fiber optic signs on motorways can be made fail-safe with a backup bulb system.

Fiber optics provide cost savings by using a single lamp to produce bright light for traffic signs.

Fiber optics offer high-speed traffic accurate and fail-safe information from road signs.

Fiber optics have their own inherent beauty, showcased in the final moments of the transcript.

Transcripts

the trouble with light bulbs

is that they are hot

full of electricity

and

very vulnerable

fiber optics are none of those things as

you probably know

they're hair thin coated glass rods you

put a light source in at one end the

light bounces back and forward down the

rods and comes out at the other end

the light itself is cold the electricity

is as far away as you want the light

source to be and even if you break them

off

you still get light

the fiber optic rods

begin like this

the central rod down which the light

travels and the outer sheath which keeps

the light in are heated in a furnace

until they fuse then melt and can be

drawn off into a single very thin

fiber as the fibers cool they're wound

onto a drum

then the fibers are assembled into

bundles the ends are bonded together

with epoxy risen and the whole bundle is

enclosed in a tube for ease of handling

in the past this one-off production

technique has meant high costs

but now a process has been developed

which allows 400 fibers to be drawn off

at the same time as before the bundles

are enclosed in a plastic tube

this mass production technique has

enabled manufacturers to cut costs by as

much as 20 times and that in turn means

fiber optics can now be applied

economically in many new ways

of course the great thing about fiber

optics is that because you can bend the

rods you can get the light you want to

use virtually anywhere including areas

where conventional light sources might

be impractical or even dangerous like

inside the human body

if for example you put fiber optics onto

a dentist's drill he could see very

clearly that it was hurting him more

than you and without danger of burning

your tongue or broken glass and electric

shock should you shut your mouth

suddenly

open wide

can you see it

hmm

very clearly

punch card readers use light to identify

and retrieve information coded in a

pattern of small holes as the cards pass

through the reading head the pattern can

be detected by light from an array of

miniature bulbs shining through the

holes onto photocells but if one bulb

fails you've had it

the fiber optic answer

one light source

and lots of tiny lights

this use of fiber optics counts passing

objects light is sent down one bundle of

fibers lying next to another if

something reflects the outgoing light

back up the receiving bundle of fibers

accounting pass is triggered but the

place you're really going to see fiber

optics at work in the futures on the

roads

thanks to a problem the department of

the environment are having with what

they call phantom images

direct sunlight may illuminate the part

of a pedestrian sign you're not meant to

see

but signs made with fiber optics get

over the problem of these phantom images

because the tips of the fibers are too

small to reflect enough sunlight to

confuse you so when it's off it's off

this advantage applies both to traffic

signs and to large signs on motorways in

these and other signs fiber optics

provide other advantages the fibers can

carry tremendously bright light from

only one lamp thus saving costs and

above all with high-speed traffic

relying on accurate information from the

signs they can be made fail-safe

some of the fibers can be set to look

inwards at the light source and carry a

sample light to a photosensitive cell

if the light goes out the cell triggers

a standby bulb in less than a second

but apart from their practical uses of

course fibre optics do have a certain

beauty of their own

[Music]

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