This session is dedicated to examining the application and development potential of advanced optical technologies on flexible, stretchable, and conformal platforms. We aim to move beyond conventional rigid photonics and foster a collaborative discussion on how mechanical adaptability can unlock new paradigms for light generation, propagation, manipulation, detection, and interaction.
We invite contributions that discuss the opportunities, challenges, and promising pathways for implementing diverse optical technologies on soft platforms. This includes the use of novel functional materials, such as 2D materials, QDs, perovskites, liquid crystal polymers, and phase-change glasses, for active optical components across different platforms.
The session will provide a platform for in-depth exploration of several key converging directions:
1. Optics on Flexible Integrated Platforms
Discussions will focus on the feasibility and forward-looking strategies for realizing high-performance, chip-scale photonic circuits on compliant substrates. Topics include the heterogeneous integration of novel active materials, addressing interconnect challenges, and exploring new device architectures uniquely enabled by flexibility.
2. Optics in Free Space via Adaptive Micro/Nano Photonic Devices
Discussions will cover the design, fabrication, and implementation of nanoscale and microscale photonic devices, including tunable metalenses, metasurfaces, and other microstructured optical elements. The goal is to assess their suitability for emerging applications in adaptive beam control, conformal imaging, and distributed sensing on curvilinear or dynamically changing surfaces.
3. Optics within Soft Fiber-Based and Textile Systems
Here, we will explore the expanding role of flexible fibers and photonic textiles as versatile platforms for distributed sensing, in-vivo diagnostics, wearable displays, and their integration into functional fabrics and robotic skins.
The core objective of this session is to bridge the communities of integrated photonics, fiber optics, optical metamaterials, and beyond. We seek to facilitate a cross-disciplinary dialogue that critically assesses the state of the art, identifies key research frontiers, and collectively charts a roadmap for transforming flexible photonics into a cornerstone of future wearable, biomedical, robotic, human-computer interface, and immersive interactive applications.