Optics

Optics is the branch of Arcana and New Learning that uses the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it.

Utility

By 3301 AF the use of the spyglass, far-sight, close-sight, and spectacles in various forms is quite widespread and routine across Visere. Basic examples of all these devices are generally mundane, but more expensive versions may utilize Arcana to add enhancements of various sorts. Visual senors of various types are also routinely incorporated into various exotic mechanistic devices.

Manufacturing

Generally produced in a large foundry but may be produced in specialzed cottage shops or research institutions for certain niche devices. The lenses themselves vary widely in size and quality and are associated with glassworks, ranging from cheap crude versions produced for general mass use to highly expensive and finely tuned versions produced at great expense by the largest universities or companies for specialized use. All optics require one or more lenses at a minimum in their simplest mundane form; but mechanistic versions of optical devices may require anywhere from several to dozens of different parts of varying expense. mechanistic versions of optical devices are a high-end good only produced in the more developed and wealthy regions of Visere.

Social Impact

Lenses have been in use for several centuries and have improved steadily over that time. By 3301 AF the use of the spyglass, in various forms, is quite widespread and routine across Visere. These range from the far-sight used to study the heavens to compact spyglass devices used to increase line of sight by soldiers, surveyors, pilots, and the like. Expensive mechanistic spyglass devices increase the magnification and focus,often add visual data to the view, and can add exotic functionality such as seeing through walls or terrain, detecting certain objects or creatures, etc. For example, the wand is a highly specialized type of spyglass that is tuned to detect specific objects or living creatures at specific distances and angles and to relay this information to the user by a complex system of visual displays.
Optics in general are ciritcal across Visere in numerous civil, economic, and military roles.

Parent Technologies

• Arcana
• New Learning

Inventor(s)

The first modern lenses emerged from the famous glassmakers of Jelgav though the name of the first inventor remains in dispute.

Access & Availability

Simple mundane or cheap mechanistic versions of the spyglass and spectacles are universally available across Visere although they often come in more crude forms in less developed regions. More expensive optical devices such as the far-sight, close-sight, and visual sensors are generally reserved for schools, universities, research institutions, large companies, and the military (thought the far-sight is increasingly appearing among wealthy private citizens as a hobby item).

Discovery

In modern times lenses have been in use for several centuries and have improved steadily over that time. They came into general use by the 2780's AF. Some examples appear in the archeoelolgical record from the mid 2nd Eon during the Era of the Kingdoms of Metal but the precise date of their invention and the scope of their use remains hotly debated by scholars.