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Invention of fibre optics has changed the scenario ofdata transferring methodology in the world. It was also a revolutionary step in science and technology. Earlier in this globalised world, transferring data at minimum time and quick access to the information was just impossible. But invention of fibre optics has changed the entire situation. The man who is behind this invention is Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany. He is an Indian born American physicist. More than a half century, his invention gave us the chance to use the high speed data transferring technology through the fibre optics over long distance. This is happened because of his ground-breaking work that today we are enjoying high speed communication and several medical treatment like,endoscopy, laser surgery etc.
Narinder Singh Kapany was born in Moga, Punjab. He was intelligent from his childhood. His physics teacher had taught him that light always travels in a straight line. That was the day when he provoked to think that why light can’t travel through a twisted path. That curious intelligent boy of Punjab is widely known as the ‘Father of the fibre optics’. That simple clue made him think and he proved that his teacher is wrong. The light can travel through a bent path. After his graduation from Agra University, Dr. Kapany joined Imperial College, London for further studies in optics. He received Ph.D. degree from Imperial College in 1955. Later he moved to the University of Rochester and then after that Illinois Institute of Technology to continue his research work on fibre optics. He did his research and innovations in the field of fibre optics communication, biomedical sensor instruments, laser technology, solar energy and pollution monitoring.
An optical fibre is a lean glass wire which transmits the light from one end to the other. It is thinner than a human hair. It can transmit signals means data over longer distances with higher bandwidth which means more data with less loss. The amount of lost data in Fibre optics is much lesser than metal wire. The transmission rate is much higher like the speed of light.
Dr. Kapany began his research in fibre optics at the Imperial College, London. That time he was working with an English physicist Harold Hopkins. In 1954, he proved that light can travel within a bent glass fibre. He demonstrated this in his department. On the same year, the popular scientific journal Nature published his research paper ‘A Flexible Fibrescope Using Static Scanning’ in their January issue. After that he contributed over hundred scientific papers in various journals throughout the world. He always tried to establish the term ‘fibre optics’ by his scientific papers.Few important medical devices developed based on his innovation, such as biomedical sensors endoscope, gastroscope and bronchoscope.
He is also a businessman and an entrepreneur. His career has expanded in science, business, management, academia, lecturing, publishing and farming. He is also engaged in art collecting, sculpting and charity.
Dr. Kapany has done his specialisation in the Processes of Innovation and the Management of Technology and Technology Transfer. He created an organization named Optics Technology Inc in 1960. He worked there for twelve years as Chairman of the Board, president and Director of Research. After seven years in 1967 that company went public several corporate purchase and joint ventures in the United States of America and in other country. In 1973, He established another company Kaptron Inc. He was the President and CEO of that company until he sold that company to AMP Incorporated in 1990. After that he worked as an AMP Associate for nine years. He opened another company named K2 Optronics. His companies were engaged in research and innovation in the field of fibre optics. He also served as the board member in various companies. Earlier he was the member of the Young presidents Organization and the National Inventors Counciland at present he is a member of the World presidents Organization.
In the field of academic, Dr. Kapany worked as a Regents Professor at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Santa Cruz. He was also at the position of Director of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He was also associated with the Stanford University. He was a Visiting Scholar in Physics Department and Consulting Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department.
Dr. Kapani has been a patron in education and arts. He was active in establishing the Sikh Foundation. He donated 5 million dollars to the Asian Arts Museum of San Francisco.
Presently he lives in San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Satinder, son Rajinder and daughter Kiren.
Dr. Kapany is well known as the innovator of fibre optics. His research and invention was revolutionary. He is the owner of over hundred patents. Indian Government awarded him with the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Samman’. USA Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce honoured him with‘The Excellence 2000 Award’, in 1998. He is associated as an International Fellow of several scientific societies, like British Royal Academy of Engineering, the Optical Society of America and the American Association. The Fortune magazine recognized him as a one of the seven ‘Unsung Heroes’ in their ‘Businessmen of the Century’ issue, 1999.
In 2009, when Nobel Prize of Physics was announced for the transmission of light through fibre glass, everyone was expecting the name of Dr. Kapany. But Nobel Committee selected the award winning scientist Charles K Kao. He made his discovery in 1966. Moreover he calculated how to transmit the light over long distance via optical glass fibre and his research encouraged manufacturing of the first ultra-pure fibre in 1970.
But Dr. Kapany had demonstrated for thefirst time that the light can transmit through the fibre optics at Imperial College, London in 1954. After this Dr.Kapany said in a telephonic interview that, world recognized him as the father of the fibre optics but he also said that Nobel committee has their own opinion.
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