Physics and Astronomy Departmental Colloquium (Dr. David Bloom)

Event Details

Speaker: Dr. David Bloom (United States Navy)

Date: Friday November 13, 2026, 3-4 p.m.

Place: Natural Sciences Building, Room 112 

Title:
Event Based Sensors – A Multi-Tool for Optical Communications, Active Imaging, and Compressive Sensing

Abstract:
Event-Based Sensors (EBS) were among the first technologies developed as part of the emergence of neuromorphic engineering and were the first to reach commercial viability. Boasting remarkable dynamic range (>120dB), HD formats (>1Mpix), sparse data outputs, and high-temporal resolution (~1MHz) – all within a low SWaP-C package – these sensors have provided previously unimaginable capability for applications spanning from applied science to systems engineering. However, these benefits do not come for free and stem from a set of design choices which create their own unique set of challenges related to optical system characterization, algorithmic implementation, and data interpretation. I’ll discuss our approaches to solving these problems and showcase some of the applications (event-based active imaging, spatially resolved optical comms, and UAV tracking) we’ve developed based on those solutions. Along the way, I’ll introduce techniques and concepts such as the shifting-sine method, event-based temporal super resolution, and compressive-sensing.