The Optical Wizard is an online automated lens calculator, invented by William Bridson and a group of engineers from Navitar Inc. in Rochester, NY. The Optical Wizard received a patent from the US government in 2006, as the first automated lens selection tool of its kind.
The tool is utilized by optical, mechanical, and electrical engineers, along with researchers and physicists to find quick automated, calculation-free solutions for machine vision, automation, testing, measuring, assembly, inspection, electronic, and biomedical imaging applications.
It comprises the steps of: generating a set of user requirements that include a set of data defining the user's optical imaging specification; generating a second data set defining optical characteristics of each of a plurality of standardized optical devices; generating a set of programmed instructions for comparing the first data set with the second data set; and, using a programmed computer to automatically select a combination of the optical devices that function to essentially satisfy the user's optical imaging specifications.