Half A Century Of Fiber Sensing

Fiber sensors were first proposed over 50 years ago, creating very significant enthusiasm and interest. In the interim, a few specialist sensor systems have evolved to occupy a little over 1% of the total sensor market. However, the enthusiasm and interest have most definitely continued! The somewhat subjective discussion presented here explores why these apparently conflicting observations coexist and also speculates-optimistically-on the future evolution of the technology. (C) 2019 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)