Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, systems, and techniques are provided for a configurable compact illumination system that provides the efficient optical illumination of objects, samples, or areas for the purpose of observing one or more properties of the illuminated object, sample, or area. Example embodiments provide an example Prolate Spheroid Ring Illumination System (PSRIS) and additional related example embodiments which provide efficient illumination for applications including but not limited to microscopy, optical instrumentation, and point-of-care medical devices.

Abstract: A speculum operable to be disposed within an ear of a subject may include a housing. The housing may include a light conducting element. A transmitted optical illumination may be conducted by total internal reflection via the light conducting element. The housing may include a lumen. The housing may be configured to allow a reflected optical illumination to propagate through the lumen. The speculum may include one or more coupling portions which couple the transmitted optical illumination from a light source to the light conducting element. The one or more coupling portions may be shaped as a conic section.

Abstract: A free space optical tap and multi/demultiplexer unit includes at least one optical unit that can tap off an optical signal from and/or add an input optical signal to a received FSO signal. The optical unit propagates the resulting optical signal, via free space, to a next optical unit of the system. The optical unit can include a holographic grating to diffract a portion of the received FSO signal to an optical detector and/or diffract an input optical signal to form part of a free space optical output signal. In addition, the FSO signal can include component signals of different wavelengths, with each optical unit of the system being wavelength specific to a different one of the wavelengths of the FSO signal.