CORNING, N.Y. – Known as a leader in glass technologies and creating life-changing innovations – Corning recently hosted the second Glass Summit in Corning, NY with 200 attendees from many facets of the glass industry gathering to share ideas and inspire new thinking around future technologies.
Corning’s Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Dr. David Morse opened the event by taking a photo of the audience then asking them how many pieces of technical glass were in his cell phone. He did this to demonstrate how far smart phone technology has come in the past decade and why Corning technologies play such a vital role in making these technologies work.
“Ten years ago, we didn’t use phones like this and Corning’s role as a materials expert helped enable smart phone technology that has changed the way people communicate,” David said. “Today’s age of internet and cell phones are all directly involved with glass, and all of the ‘bytes’ can’t go anywhere without glass optical fiber and can’t be viewed without displays.”
Dr. Gary Calabrese, senior vice president, Global Research, also helped set the tone for the event by reminding attendees about the difference between inventions and innovations. “Inventions can be cool, new ideas, but combining an invention with economic value leads to an innovation.”
This year’s Glass Summit covered a variety of topics where glass can have a significant impact in the near future including design, fiber applications and optical materials, as well as healthcare, virtual and augmented reality, and specialty glasses. Below are some key takeaways on topics discussed during the event.