Optical fibre sensors: An Australian perspective

The field of optical fibre sensors has progressed significantly over the past 25 years, taking advantage, primarily, of the many innovations that have arisen in the optical fibre communications field. The research conducted within Australia has been focused within universities, complemented by work within the government defence agency. The research ranges from the development of new sensor principles and mechanisms, to the application of these sensors. The private sector has begun to appreciate the potential of optical fibre sensors to solve specific measurement problems and Australian-based measurement solutions are available commercially. Within Australia optical fibre sensors are being applied in areas such as structural health monitoring, the electrical power industry, various defence applications, and medicine.