Nipkow disk

A Nipkow disk is a mechanical, geometrically operating image scanning device (by itself, it performs neither image acquisition or reproduction), invented by Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, which was primarily used as a fundamental component in mechanical television.

Applications

Apart from the aforementioned mechanical television, which never took off the ground for the practical reasons mentioned above, a Nipkow disk is used in one type of confocal microscope, a powerful optical microscope. It is also sometimes used in the field of high speed photography, although in miniaturized and very high speed versions.

Related Topics:
Confocal microscope - Optical microscope - High speed photography

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