To support continuous improvement of manufacturing technology and quality, optical imaging instrumentation has been standard on the factory floor for more than 60 years. Early on, manufacturing depended on highly skilled technicians to acquire noncontact magnified images to make simple measurements.

A new astronomical camera has begun operations on the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii. WFCAM has the largest field of view of any astronomical infrared camera in the world. In a single exposure it can image an area of the sky equal to that of the full moon.