Looking back at the fiber optic industry over the past two to four decades, I've noticed that, as in all respects, the trend has been to make each device smaller and more feature-rich. This is true in fiber optic connectors, fiber optics, fiber optic transceivers, and more. After I collected old fiber optic equipment, to my surprise, some of the early equipment was even considered to be field-ready.
these years
My collection includes a circa 1980 optical cleaver that uses three manual micrometer stages to position and cleave fibers. The device is about the size of a large laptop and three times as thick. Also included in this device is a 1980s Deutsch connector the size of a typical phone jack.
These items are unthinkable in today's world because they take up too much space and require too much expertise to operate. On average, it takes about 30 minutes to strip and cleave a fiber, and about 60 minutes to connect and test a fiber.
Over the years, we have steadily improved all components of optical communications to levels not imagined in 1980. Today, we can install connectors in 1 to 2 minutes, and the density of cables is about 800 times that of 1980. The semiconductor curve should be expected.
Size matters
However, as we continued to shrink in processing technology, we encountered some new problems. Now, when dealing with these connectors and sharing larger fields on the interconnect plane, we have to take into account the ergonomic fact that humans are not shrinking. The problem we now face in making fiber optic panels a standard part of telecom hardware is that there are fewer people using these smaller pieces of equipment.
We need to understand the human factor as we shrink the space of devices to accommodate the ever-increasing demands for information exchange. Information exchange can be
Between people, between people and machines
Between machines in the "Internet of Things" (we don't even see machines that exchange information with each other on our behalf)
So the question boils down to: Can we keep shrinking the size of the device and still allow humans to handle it, configure it, or change it?
Consider the need for quick repairs
Aerospace and military use of fiber optic systems has accessibility specifications for quick repair of their systems. I think it's time to consider a similar set of tools (software or hardware) that can mimic the needs of our network systems. As several recent weather events have shown us, we may need to fix the network quickly and need to be aware that accessibility for unfamiliar or trained personnel and the ability to intuitively fix the process need to be in our next Added to level design. The goal should not be to limit next-generation concepts, but to include lessons learned from previous experiences. Soft virtual reality systems can only be used if the system can operate independently of a broken network. The same is true for proprietary interconnection systems and schemes.
in conclusion
Although there are many competing systems and ideas that have their merits. As we continue to improve, add features and narrow the scope of our technology, we need to consider a common approach to repair.
