Optical Fiber Takes to the Air

You've heard of fly by light, but now an optical switch could lead to photonic control of elevators, rudders, and other flight hardware, displacing heavy, fire-prone electrical harnesses. Texas A&M University researchers developed the prototype switch, which consists of a cantilever bonded to a Fabry-Perot interferometer. Applying pressure to the switch changes the size of the Fabry-Perot cavity, altering the resultant interference pattern to generate an optical signal.