Fiber-Optic Bundles Create a World of Pure Imagination

Fiber optics have undoubtedly changed the world of spectroscopy and communications, existing as a foundation for countless platforms we encounter and work with each day. The use of multiple fibers in a bundle further expands these capabilities in several ways, some of which are obvious, and others that are more concealed and clever. Starting as a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) encoding project under the guise of "gastroscope development," fiber-optic bundles have evolved into many uses across industries. In this column, we explore this intriguing history and where it has led to, including the use of modern processing techniques that allow three-dimensional (3D) interpretations of traditionally two-dimensional (2D) readings.