In the 1970s, professor Józef Piotrowski started looking for the best material for sensing applications. At the Warsaw Technical Military Academy, he made a scientific breakthrough that would help transform the world of infrared technology.
Piotrowski and his team developed detectors that no longer require cooling with liquid nitrogen—a feat that made these detectors more practical and versatile, and opened up a world of new applications. This innovation also set the stage for the founding of VIGO Photonics in 1987, a company that has since specialised in producing instruments for photonics (light-wave technology) and microelectronics.