An optical sensor system, comprising refractory plasmonic elements that can withstand temperatures exceeding 2500 C. in chemically aggressive and harsh environments that impose stress, strain and vibrations. A plasmonic metamaterial or metasurface, engineered to have a specific spectral and angular response, exhibits optical reflection characteristics that are altered by varying physical environmental conditions including but not limited to temperature, surface chemistry or elastic stress, strain and other types of mechanical load. The metamaterial or metasurface comprises a set of ultra-thin structured layers with a total thickness of less than tens of microns that can be deployed onto surfaces of devices operating in harsh environmental conditions. The top interface of the metamaterial or metasurface is illuminated with a light source, either through free space or via an optical fiber, and the reflected signal is detected employing remote detectors.

An optical sensor system, comprising refractory plasmonic elements that can withstand temperatures exceeding 2500 C. in chemically aggressive and harsh environments that impose stress, strain and vibrations. A plasmonic metamaterial or metasurface, engineered to have a specific spectral and angular response, exhibits optical reflection characteristics that are altered by varying physical environmental conditions including but not limited to temperature, surface chemistry or elastic stress, strain and other types of mechanical load. The metamaterial or metasurface comprises a set of ultra-thin structured layers with a total thickness of less than tens of microns that can be deployed onto surfaces of devices operating in harsh environmental conditions. The top interface of the metamaterial or metasurface is illuminated with a light source, either through free space or via an optical fiber, and the reflected signal is detected employing remote detectors.

Provided is a refrigerator and control method for refrigerator and method for opening a refrigerator door. While a user is holding an object in both hands, a door may be automatically and additionally opened using another part of a body other than hands.

A state visualizer according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an optical member including a fixed part that has a fixed relative positional relationship with an object to be measured and a movable part that is movably supported by the fixed part and keeps a constant angle with respect to a gravity direction, the optical member retroreflecting a light or an electromagnetic wave in a case where the fixed part and the movable part are in a predetermined positional relationship. The optical member changes an intensity of the light or the electromagnetic wave reflected in a retroreflection direction in accordance with a change of a relative positional relationship between the fixed part and the movable part.

New platform technologies to actuate and sense force propagation in real-time for large sheets of cells are provided. In certain embodiments the platform comprises a device for the measurement of mechanical properties of cells or other moieties, where device comprises a transparent elastic or viscoelastic polymer substrate disposed on a rigid transparent surface; and a plurality of micromirrors disposed on or in said polymer substrate, wherein the reflective surfaces of the micromirrors are oriented substantially parallel to the surface of said polymer substrate. In certain embodiments the device comprises more than about 1,000,000, or more than about 10,000,000 micromirrors. In certain embodiments the micromirrors comprise a magnetic layer and/or a diffraction grating.

An apparatus for determining a position and orientation of first and second rigid bodies in relation to each other. The apparatus includes a light source mounted to the first rigid body, an image sensor mounted to either the first or second rigid body and positioned in a field of light, a shadow mask mounted to either the first or second rigid body and arranged in the field of light, and a computation unit configured to calculate at least one angle by evaluating a shadow image which passes the shadow mask and is detected by the image sensor. The apparatus may include a mechanical constraint mounted to the first and second rigid bodies that defines a fixed distance between the first and second rigid bodies, is stationary in relation to one of the first or second rigid body, and is variably inclinable in relation to the other.

An apparatus for determining a position and orientation of first and second rigid bodies in relation to each other. The apparatus includes a light source mounted to the first rigid body, an image sensor mounted to either the first or second rigid body and positioned in a field of light, a shadow mask mounted to either the first or second rigid body and arranged in the field of light, and a computation unit configured to calculate at least one angle by evaluating a shadow image which passes the shadow mask and is detected by the image sensor. The apparatus may include a mechanical constraint mounted to the first and second rigid bodies that defines a fixed distance between the first and second rigid bodies, is stationary in relation to one of the first or second rigid body, and is variably inclinable in relation to the other.

Provided is a refrigerator and control method for refrigerator and method for opening a refrigerator door. While a user is holding an object in both hands, a door may be automatically and additionally opened using another part of a body other than hands.

An optical position-measuring device for determining the relative position of two objects includes two scanning units which are connected to one of the objects and each include a light source, one or more gratings and a detector assembly. A scale is connected to the other object and has two tracks each containing incremental graduations extending along a first one of the measurement directions. The incremental graduations each are composed of graduation regions which have different optical properties and are periodically arranged along an incremental graduation direction. The two incremental graduation directions form an angle of between 0 and 90 relative to each other. Each of the two incremental graduations has a reference mark integrated therein such that scanning of the reference mark allows a reference signal to be generated at a defined reference position along each of the measurement directions. The reference marks include both aperiodic and periodic portions.

A scale includes a diffraction grating configured to condense diffracted light in a periodic direction of the diffraction grating in order to detect a reference position. A light receiving element array is configured to receive light from the diffraction grating. The light receiving element array includes first to fourth light receiving elements configured to output signals having phases different from each other. The first light receiving element and the second light receiving element are adjacent to each other and are arranged between the third light receiving element and the fourth light receiving element. The processing unit generates a signal representing the reference position based on a differential signal between a signal from the first light receiving element and a signal from the third light receiving element and a differential signal between a signal from the second light receiving element and a signal from the fourth light receiving element.