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The Future of Optical Fibre

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the genetics-ain't-just-for-breeding-anymore dept.

An anonymous reader writes "An Australian researcher has come up with a novel way of developing optical fibres. Steven Manos, a researcher at the Optical Fibre Technology Centre in Sydney, Australia has developed a method of using genetic algorithims for discovering optimal designs of optical fibres. An article on his work had this to say "The problem with designing optical fibres is starting with a specific set of criteria and then coming up with a design to fit this. The computer program developed by Manos, which is run on supercomputers, does this by mimicking the process of evolution. The computer program combines two patterns to create a third fibre 'offspring', which Manos described as "similar but a bit different". This process is repeated thousands of times with the 10 designs best suited for the particular application chosen to 'breed' again." Another case of "When in doubt, use brute force"?"

4 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. First cars... by longbot · · Score: 0, Troll

    ..and now this? What other uses could genetic algorithms have?

    --
    I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it! --Longbottle
  2. Fucking hell why all the excitement about GA? by baadfood · · Score: 0, Troll

    I mean its like every tosser who works out that their specific problem can be described by a phase space comes to the startling conclusion that a genetic algorithm is a neato way to explore the said phase space? I think I should start submitting patent applications of the form "Method and algorithm for optimising , using a fitness function and genetic algorithms to find optima in a phase space".

  3. goa7 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    OS don't fe4r 1the effort to address

  4. Re:What's with the French? by xirtam_work · · Score: -1, Troll

    Actually the English spelling is 'FIBRE' not 'FIBER'. The American spelling is 'FIBER' because for obvious reasons any word that sounds like it ends in 'ER' has to end in 'ER' when spelt in America as it's too damn difficult to remember how to spell things correctly.

    Other words Americans manage to spell incorrectly:
    THEATRE, METRE, CHEQUE, COLOUR

    Many words are similar in English and French as both languages evolved along side each other an dhave influenced each other over time. You acutally think that DEJA-VU, ENTREE, PARDON are English?