Research, systems thinking, and the power of community
As Chief Research Officer at Circle Optics, Andy Kurtz brings decades of systems level research experience to a company operating at the intersection of advanced optics, real time imaging, and emerging aviation and security applications.
This January, Kurtz attended SPIE Photonics West, the world’s largest annual gathering focused on optics and photonics research, components, and manufacturing. For Circle Optics, the event is not only a technical touchstone, but also a reminder of how strong research communities accelerate both innovation and individual growth.
Why Photonics West continues to matter
For Kurtz, research at its best is inherently collaborative. Modern optical systems sit at the intersection of optics, mechanics, electronics, and software disciplines that must work together despite competing constraints. Comfort with uncertainty matters, as does the ability to adapt when outcomes shift. Equally important is lateral thinking, the ability to move fluidly between detailed problem solving and system level perspective.
“And finally,” Kurtz adds, “you need a really good sense of humor.”
Over the course of his career, Kurtz estimates he has attended Photonics West roughly twenty times. During that span, the event has expanded significantly, evolving into multiple parallel conferences such as OPTO, LASE, and BIOS. The growth reflects the increasing breadth of the optics field, even as some gaps remain. Image sensor companies, for example, are still under represented given their central role in modern imaging systems. Even so, the density of expertise concentrated in one place remains unmatched.
“It is the largest annual optical conference and expo that I am aware of,” Kurtz says. “Papers span several broad technical areas, and the array of exhibiting vendors is both wide and deep.”
Where Circle Optics is focused now
This year, Kurtz’s priorities reflect where Circle Optics sits in its development arc. Rather than focusing primarily on technical paper sessions, he spent much of his time on the exhibit floor engaging directly with suppliers and manufacturers whose capabilities shape what is feasible as systems move toward production.
His objectives included exploring vendor relationships that could support commercialization of Circle Optics’ Hydra and Pegasus camera systems, as well as assessing component options for the Intrepid borescope project.
“At this stage, the exhibit floor is where the most important conversations happen,” Kurtz explains. “Understanding supplier capabilities, constraints, and roadmaps directly informs how we design systems that can scale.”
Among the many vendors at Photonics West, three technologies in particular caught Kurtz’s attention.
Additive manufatured plastic optics:
Example Luximprint, soon rebranding as EXXELENS:
Three dimensional printed, customized plastic optics that enable rapid iteration and tailored optical designs. These approaches are especially relevant for prototyping and specialized optical components where traditional manufacturing methods impose cost or design constraints.
Hermoelectric cooling solutions for optical systems:
Example Sheetak:
Catalog and custom optimized thermoelectric coolers ranging from large assemblies to very small form factors. Effective thermal management is critical for maintaining sensor stability, image quality, and system reliability as imaging platforms become more compact and power constrained.
Protective and cleanable polymer sheet materials for optcs
Example First Contact Polymer:
A removable polymer sheet material used to protect optical surfaces during handling and to clean contaminants without mechanical abrasion. For multi camera and high precision optical systems, these materials reduce risk during integration, transport, and maintenance.
The role of community in advancing innovation
Beyond the technology, Photonics West remains meaningful because of the communities that gather there. For Circle Optics, the event is enriched by long standing relationships across research, startup, and academic ecosystems, including partners such as Luminate Accelerator and the University of Rochester.
These connections reinforce that progress in advanced imaging does not happen in isolation. It emerges through shared curiosity, rigorous debate, and trusted networks that span academia, startups, and industry.
What continues to draw Kurtz to Circle Optics is the opportunity to work on complex systems whose full potential is still unfolding. When he first joined the company, the technology reminded him of early laser development powerful capabilities in search of the right applications.
Today, Circle Optics’ real time, low parallax, multi camera imaging systems are enabling new use cases across UAV and eVTOL applications, including optical detect and avoid systems designed to reduce collision risk as aviation evolves.
Events like Photonics West serve as both a technical compass and a human one grounding innovation in community, collaboration, and the shared work of building what comes next.
- Circle Optics observes technologies and capabilities. We do not endorse suppliers.
