Paper 14106-601
Paper 14106-601
An optical design journey through the computer age (Plenary Presentation)
14 April 2026 • 09:50 - 10:35 CEST | Auditorium Erasme (Niveau/Level 0)
Abstract
The design of optics has seen very significant advances over the last seven decades or so, much of which has been due to the tremendous increase in the power of computing and software. In 1675, Isaac Newton said that “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”. The same is true of the optical designers of my generation in that we have benefitted so much from the work of “giants” of the previous generations. This paper therefore includes brief synopses of the contributions of a few of these giants, just those who I knew or were a great influence. Some selected examples are given of the advances over the computer age in the means of designing optics and also developments in some specific optical devices, the latter include welcome inputs from several organisations involved in the field. The paper is dedicated to the memory of Professor John Greivenkamp, a great educator in optics, who was to have been its joint author.
Presenter
VNF Ltd. (United Kingdom)
Phil Rogers has been a professional optical designer for 65 years, originally at Hilger & Watts in London and then at Pilkington PE (now Qioptic Teledyne) in St Asaph UK where he was chief optical designer for 36 years. Currently he owns the optical design consulting company VNF Ltd, and is visiting professor of optical design at the OpTIC Centre of Wrexham University, having previously been a visiting professor at Cranfield University.
Rogers is a Fellow of SPIE, past board member & recipient of the 2018 A E Conrady Award; a Fellow of the UK Institute of Physics; and an Emeritus Fellow of both Optica and the Royal Academy of Engineering. He was awarded an MBE (British national honour) in 1990 for contributions to optical design.