Corning acquires assets of imaging specialist NovaSol

27 Jan 2015

Acquisition follows glass and diversified optics giant's last month's purchase of Samsung's fiber optics business.

Corning this week announced that it has acquired the assets of NovaSol, Honolulu, Hawaii, a developer of advanced hyperspectral imaging systems. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

This new deal by the New York State-based manufacturer of materials including optical fiber and display glass, follows the acquisition in December of the fiber optics business belonging to Korean electronics giant Samsung.

Founded in 1998, NovaSol specializes in the research and development of next-generation active and passive optical systems, including electro-optical systems and optical communication systems. Corning said the acquisition will be integrated into its Advanced Optics business unit within the Specialty Materials division.

Curt Weinstein, VP and general manager, Corning Advanced Optics, commented, “We are excited about the opportunity to expand our portfolio of hyperspectral imaging solutions. NovaSol has a proven history of providing best-in-class performance in innovative imaging solutions. We look forward to having NovaSol’s talented team working with us to address current and emerging market opportunities.”

Corning hopes that NovaSol’s technology portfolio – see below – combined with its experience in developing optical imaging systems, will deliver high-performance, low-cost imaging solutions. Additionally, the companies’ combined expertise should enable Corning to more efficiently address the needs of emerging industrial markets for advanced spectral imaging solutions.

Dr. Rick Holasek, NovaSol’s president and CEO, said, “Corning’s extensive production capabilities in optical systems and components and the company’s commitment to research and development are synergistic with NovaSol’s core competencies in imaging systems and optical communications.”

About NovaSol

Previously an employee-owned company, NovaSol provides technical solutions to complex military, industrial, medical, and environmental problems, notably for defense and government agency sectors. It is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a mainland USA operation in San Diego, California.

Its focus is on the research, development, and productization of next-generation active and passive optical systems across the entire spectrum from the ultraviolet to the infrared with panchromatic to ultra-spectral resolution. NovaSol applies its core technical competencies in sensors, optics and stabilization miniaturization technologies, performance modeling and simulation, software, spectral and spatial algorithms, data analysis.

Airborne Hyperspectral Remote Sensing

One of Novasol’s areas of expertise is airborne hyperspectral remote sensing, which the company says has “come of age” for small manned and unmanned aircraft. Its website states, “Miniaturization of imaging and processing modules enables use of low-cost aircraft – manned and unmanned. Computing power and powerful software/algorithms enable real-time/near real-time processing of hyperspectral collections, and price points enable broader applications across many civil and commercial markets.”

NovaSol provides turnkey imaging and navigation solutions to government and industry, specializing in the development and production of visible/Near-InfraRed (visNIR) and Short Wave Infra-Red (SWIR) hyperspectral imaging (HSI) systems. Applications for these systems range from surveillance, tracking, mineral and other natural resource exploration, agriculture, homeland defense, and environmental monitoring to search and rescue, military reconnaissance, and urban planning.

About the Author

Matthew Peach is a contributing editor to optics.org.