Precision collaboration and advanced integration using laser systems and techniques

Lasers were introduced five decades ago, and since then, they have impacted almost every aspect of our life, from healthcare to defense systems, by enabling a new ultraprecise, multipurpose technology. Laser technology has been implemented as an end product and as part of the production chain. This dual functionality is possible due to unique characteristics, such as high-rate energy transmission, high irradiance, and spatial and temporal coherence and precision. While the most common applications are found in medical and communication technologies, other areas such as manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and defense also benefit from this groundbreaking scientific discovery. In spite of the rapid dissemination of laser technologies to diverse and varied application fields, its role in support of collaboration and discovery is still in its infancy. Research activities brining laser-based technology to these areas have been relatively limited. Nevertheless, the translation to this domain has been recognized as vital for activities that demand increasingly more coordinated effort among interacting agents, including humans, machines, and digital, possibly photonic agents.