Book excerpt: Presents readers with the basic science, technology, and applications for every type of adaptive lens An adaptive lens is a lens whose shape has been changed to a different focal length by an external stimulus such as pressure, electric field, magnetic field, or temperature. Introduction to Adaptive Lenses is the first book ever to address all of the fundamental operation principles, device characteristics, and potential applications of various types of adaptive lenses. This comprehensive book covers basic material properties, device structures and performance, image processing and zooming, optical communications, and biomedical imaging. Readers will find homework problems and solutions included at the end of each chapter—and based on the described device structures, they will have the knowledge to fabricate adaptive lenses for practical applications or develop new adaptive devices or concepts for advanced investigation. Introduction to Adaptive Lenses includes chapters on: Optical lenses Elastomeric membrane lenses Electro-wetting lenses Dielectrophoretic lenses Mechanical-wetting lenses Liquid crystal lenses This is an important reference for optical engineers, research scientists, graduate students, and undergraduate seniors.