Culture as a Driving Force for Research and Technology Development: A Decade’s Experience of Canada’s NRC 3D Technology

The idea that led to the invention of NRC’s 3D digital imaging technology started as a result of scientific curiosity. It was triggered by a little device called a ‘lateral effect photodiode’ (Figure 3.1). It is a small photosensor which converts the position of an incident light beam to an electrical signal. Marc Rioux initially bought it around 1980 for its functionality.