Atlanta, GA – December 15, 2010

Micron Optics, Inc., a leading provider of innovative equipment for fiber optic sensing and laser imaging, today announces the successful installation of two of their state of the art optical sensing systems in the world’s tallest television tower. The Canton Tower at Guangzhou has Micron Optics monitoring systems integrated into the building control system. Integration of the structural sensing and building control systems make this architectural landmark the world’s tallest smart structure.

The Canton Tower is a unique architectural statement implementing an advanced design which places higher strain ranges on the building structure. The installed Micron Optics interrogators and sensors provide high speed strain and temperature information that engineers require for long term structural monitoring of the tower. High strain range, resistance to lightning and other electromagnetic interference, its unparalleled reliability and low cost per sensing point make the Micron Optics system uniquely well qualified for this application.The sensing system integration was performed by Hong Kong Polytechnic under the leadership and guidance of Dr. Hwa-Yaw Tam.

The building design incorporates 800 total sensors. Of these, 220 are Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) based optical sensors with 140 incorporated into the tower body and 80 used on the antenna. The majority of the electrical sensors are used for in-construction monitoring while the optical sensors are used for long term monitoring of the structure.

Andrei Csipkes, COO of Micron Optics commented, “We are pleased that Hong Kong Polytechnic University chose Micron Optics as its technology partner for this important application. Dr. Tam and his associates are very knowledgeable in this field and we look forward to continued cooperation on projects such as this. The Canton Tower in Guangzhou is a real architectural accomplishment and Micron Optics is pleased that our technology is playing an important role in making smart structures a marketplace reality.”

A technical paper on the optical sensing system installed on the Canton Tower in Guangzhou can be found at Micron Optics Docment Library. The case study associated with this project is at Micron Optics website. A live presentation and a discussion about this monitoring system will be given at OFC 2011.