The trip to Qioptiq was really interesting as I did not realize that a company that was based solely on lens-making could be so large. The precision required in making the curvature of the lens even was astounding, and the technology used such as in the coating of the lens was rather unexpected. I am not interested in physics, hence not really into optics, but it is obvious that optic engineering is a growing sector especially when new technologies focus very much on what the consumer can see.
What was interesting also was the human resource required for the factory. I was expecting most of the systems to be operated by machines, with only a few engineers looking over the process, but I was surprised to see that there were still many hired for several manual tasks. Still, I wonder why many companies hire humans to do the checking and quality control, when machines are perhaps much more proficient and precise..
Lastly, we had a talk by Mr. Ronian Siew who was our tour guide for the Qioptiq tour. It was based on his life story, and was pretty motivational as his results were mediocre yet his passion for physics and optics was evident, and he even had a few patents and discoveries (even finding another math formula!). Truly, if we were all to follow our passions and not only follow some parents' wishes to become lawyers or doctors, the world would greatly benefit. Sadly, most Singaporeans are taking the default route and not venturing out to their area of passion.
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