1971: FIBRE OPTICS - light's bright future? | Tomorrow's World | Retro Tech | BBC Archive
Summary
TLDRThis 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
- π‘ Light bulbs are hot, electrical, and vulnerable, unlike fiber optics which are cold to the touch and safe.
- π 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.
- π¬ 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.
- π¦ Fibers are assembled into bundles, bonded with epoxy, and enclosed in a tube for ease of handling.
- πΉ Advancements in production allow for the simultaneous drawing of 400 fibers, reducing costs by up to 20 times compared to previous methods.
- π Fiber optics can be bent and used in areas where traditional light sources are impractical or hazardous, such as inside the human body.
- π¦· 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.
- π 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.
- π¦ Fiber optics are used in traffic signs to avoid 'phantom images' caused by direct sunlight and to ensure fail-safe operation with backup lighting.
- π¦ Fiber optic signs on motorways can carry bright light from a single lamp, saving costs and providing accurate, high-speed information.
- β¨ 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
π‘ 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Light Bulbs
π‘Fiber Optics
π‘Light Source
π‘Electricity
π‘Furnace
π‘Mass Production
π‘Epoxy Resin
π‘Dentistry
π‘Punch Card Readers
π‘Phantom Images
π‘Fail-Safe
π‘Photosensitive Cell
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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