Feb 22 2017
NexOptic Technology Corp. ("NexOptic") (OTCQB: NXOPF) (TSX VENTURE: NXO) (FRANKFURT: E301) (BERLIN: E301) and Spectrum Optix Inc. of Calgary, Canada ("Spectrum,") and together with NexOptic, the "Companies") are pleased to announce that they have completed assembly of their proof of concept telescope prototype lens stack and successfully captured its first set of unprocessed images of the moon.
Alignment and assembly of the optics, construction of the casing and testing of the full lens stack are complete. The Companies are pleased with the unprocessed imaging results from the prototype lens stack. Tests of the prototype delivered image resolutions comparable to conventional 5-inch-aperture telescopes while maintaining the device's unique form factor. The prototype incorporates the Companies' breakthrough Blade Optics™ system which allows the entire device to be housed in a body approximately 5 inches deep while keeping a diagonal aperture of roughly 5 inches. The prototype's lens stack depth is significantly thinner than comparable conventional telescopes on the market today.
The Companies commissioned electrical engineer Larry McNish, a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, to field test the prototype. McNish has been an amateur astronomer and astrophotographer for 30 years and has served as president of the Calgary Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
After field testing the prototype, Mr. McNish stated: "I've observed and imaged through a lot of different shapes and sizes of telescopes over the last 30 years. Having the opportunity to take images with the NexOptic prototype, I believe that they have potentially created a 'paradigm shift' innovation in optical design."
John Daugela, CEO of Spectrum Optix and Director of NexOptic stated: "I commend our teams for their tremendous efforts and for making this milestone event possible."
He added: "We now aim to completely shift the direction of optical design for many applications from this point forward."
Prototype Specifications Highlights
Selected specifications of the Companies' telescope prototype are as follows:
- Focal length: 1460mm
- Aperture: 89.6 by 89.6mm, square
- Spectral band: 486-656nm
- Field of view: 0.2 by 0.2 degrees
- Resolution: 2.7 arcsec
- Hyperfocal distance: 6.8km
- Overall Dimensions of device: ~10 by 9 by 5 inches
- Camera used for prototype testing: Point Grey Blackfly S color, 7.066 by 5.299mm, 2048 by 1536 pixels (3.2 MP)
Ruda Cardinal, Inc. ("Ruda") of Tucson, Arizona supplies custom optical systems that meet the highest optical standards; and assisted the Companies in the prototype development process. Following strict procedures and guidelines in inspecting incoming optics and mechanics, all optical components used for the prototype came with a certificate of conformance and data sheets from all the vendors. Furthermore, all components went through a First Article Inspection process before they were accepted and assembled into the prototype. Ruda's diverse customer base includes clients who require optical systems for market segments such as: space, aerospace, military, bio-medical, commercial, industrial, lithography and inspection. It provides its expertise and services to Fortune 500 companies, universities, government programs and start-ups. Ruda has been ISO 9001:2008 AS9100 certified since 2007 and is an ITAR registered company capable of building prototypes to MIL-Spec qualification standards required for air worthiness.
Proprietary Software Development
Spectrum has completed the initial iteration of its proprietary software that captures, processes and displays images from the prototype. Spectrum is refining its image processing techniques for the prototype unveiling event.
Exclusive Prototype Unveiling Event
The Companies are also pleased to announce that they will be hosting the first public unveiling of their prototype, in the evening of April 4, 2017, at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. Seating for the event will be limited. The event will be open to members of the media and investment community. For availability, please contact the company exclusively through email: [email protected]. The Companies will issue further details on this exclusive engagement in a subsequent news release during the month of March 2017.