Live FPGA demos, browser-connected instrumentation, and hands-on workflows for imaging and optical systems

We're heading to San Francisco for Photonics West 2026, January 20–22. Visit us at Booth 2354 for live demos showcasing FrontPanel 6, the XEM8320, and SYZYGY peripherals.

Photonics teams face increasingly complex acquisition and control pipelines that demand fast iteration, cross-platform tools, and a clear path from prototype to production. Our demos show how browser-based FPGA control can accelerate your workflow with real hardware in the loop.

What We're Showing

FrontPanel 6 is our browser-based development platform built on JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. It turns any web page into an FPGA control panel—stream data, configure registers, and visualize results without custom drivers or desktop installations, with support for Python and other popular programming environments like Jupyter Labs and LabVIEW. All demos run on the XEM8320 paired with SYZYGY modules, mirroring real lab setups: high-speed USB communication, flexible expansion, and drop-in peripherals for sensors, data conversion, and video I/O.

Demo Lineup

Machine Vision Pipeline

Watch an end-to-end vision system that combines FPGA acceleration with browser-based AI. The FPGA handles video capture and HLS-implemented pre-processing, while a FrontPanel 6 application runs TensorFlow inference and overlays detections in real time—all inside a single web page.

This pattern is becoming standard in optical imaging and inspection: FPGA-level throughput with modern, iterative software interfaces.

FFT Scope

Fast data acquisition meets on-FPGA FFT processing. Set parameters, trigger captures, and visualize magnitude spectra with interactive markers—all in the browser. Sweep frequency inputs and complete signal analysis workflows without exporting files or switching tools.

A browser-native oscilloscope experience for analyzing sensors, ADC front ends, and experimental setups.

Sensor Dashboard

Real-time monitoring built around the SZG-SENSOR module. Stream GNSS, pressure, temperature, humidity, and proximity data directly from FPGA to browser. A clean example of interactive, cross-platform dashboards for lab instrumentation and environmental monitoring.

Ideal For

• Research groups validating algorithms or testing optical setups
• OEM engineering teams moving from evaluation to design-in
• Optical and imaging developers working with high-speed sensor pipelines
• Teaching labs introducing modern FPGA concepts
• Test and validation teams needing consistent, documented procedures
  

Learn From Photonics Teams Using Opal Kelly

Engineering teams across photonics and optical imaging applications have integrated Opal Kelly's FPGA platforms into their products and research workflows. Here are a few examples:

Swabian Instruments: Quantum Optics Time Tagging

Swabian Instruments builds data acquisition and signal generation tools for quantum optics research. Their products deliver precise time-tagging instrumentation for scientists studying quantum phenomena, built on Opal Kelly's XEM7360 FPGA module and FrontPanel SDK to provide easy-to-use tools that accelerate experiments.

Pi Imaging: Single-Photon Imaging Cameras

Pi Imaging Technology develops SPAD (Single-Photon Avalanche Diode) cameras and sensors for ultra-sensitive, low-light imaging applications. Their technology enables fluorescence lifetime imaging, quantum imaging, and high-speed photon counting with frame rates up to 100,000 fps—applications where FPGA-based data processing and high-bandwidth USB communication are essential.

NIST: Open-Source Digital Servo for Laser Control

The Time and Frequency Division at NIST's Ion Storage Group created an open-source digital feedback controller using Opal Kelly's XEM6010, optimized for feedback control of lasers in atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics experiments. The complete project—including hardware, firmware, software, and enclosure designs—is available on GitHub for the research community.

Visit Us at Booth 2354

Working on imaging pipelines, optical measurement systems, or real-time instrumentation? Stop by for hands-on demos and talk with our team about mapping these workflows to your projects.

See you at Photonics West 2026