These workshops were the successors of mechanical workshops (“tool chambers”), which were created according to Peter I idea and Elizabeth’s Decree after foundation of the Russian Academy in 1724. In the first structure “of tool chambers” the number of the foremen — instruments designers was close to number of Academy members on natural sciences.
The Workshops in XVIII century served the numerous orders of academic physicists and astronomers. The remarkable optical devices designed in workshops, created according to Russian academicians’ idea – the great scientists Michael Lomonosov and Leonard Euler, are known. Basing on results of practical work in workshops Leonard Euler issued in 1769-1771 in St. Petersburg the three volume book “Dyoptrics”, being a basis for development optotechnique for development of optotechnique in XIX century.
Now Scientific and Technological Centre of Unique Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences is one of the leading organizations in the field of unique optics-mechanical and electronic automated scientific devices and higjhest complicity category means for automation of scientific researches, in design of IR and submillimeter spectral devices of high resolution.
Scientific and Technological Centre of Unique Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences combines functions of research institute, design office and industrial enterprise, carries-out the whole cycle of building-up devices — from scientific researches and development of construction principles to release of devices small batches in manufacture.
Scientific and Technological Centre of Unique Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences has its own postgraduate study and academic on defending DPhil theses. From the time of foundation Scientific and Technological Centre of Unique Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences has developed more than 160 types of new complex scientific instruments and has released small series of more than 3000 devices.
Scientific and Technological Centre of Unique Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences actively cooperates with such well known organizations, as P.N.Lebedev Physical Inst. RAS,General Physics Inst. RAS, Institute of spectroscopy RAS, Institute of oceanology of RAS, Russian EMERCOM, Russian Federation Ministry of Defense etc.
High development level of Scientific and Technological Centre of Unique Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences r was marked by authoritative interdepartmental commissions, copyright certificates and foreign patents, state premiums, high awards of domestic and foreign exhibitions. From 1986 to 1995 Scientific and Technological Centre of Unique Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences was headed I.N.Sysakyan.
I.N.Sysakyan (1938-1995) — professor, doctor of physics and mathematics, Winner of Russian Federation State prize, full member of Academy of engineering sciences of Russian Federation. I.N.Sysakyan was the leading scientist in the field of optics, laser physics, computer facilities and scientific instrument design. He was the author of more than 300 scientific publications, inventions and patents. His scientific publications are widely known in Russia and abroad.
I.N.Sysakyan one of the founders of new area of fundamental and applied researches — computer optics. His works in this area have allowed to create essentially new optical elements and means on their basis for computer facilities, instrument design, robotics and medicine.
Since 1995 and till the present time Scientific and Technological Centre of Unique Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences has being headed by V.I.Pustovoit.
V.I.Pustovoit — full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, doctor of physics and mathematics, professor, three times Winner of the USSR and Russia State prize. Vladislav Ivanovich is an outstanding expert in the field of scientific instrument design, acousto-electronics, acousto-optics, computer science, physics of semiconductors and metrology. He is the author of more than 230 scientific works including the monograph, and also 31 inventions and patents.
V.I.Pustovoit during the years of his scientific and technical activity was author and leader in implementation of:
- For the first time in the world he put forward the idea to use surface acoustic waves in electronics that led to the creation of acousto-electronics — powerful modern scientific and technical direction;
- For the first time in the world creation of tunable acousto-optics filters and spectrometers for visible, ultra-violet and IR optical radiation ranges, with the record characteristics in the spectral resolution and aperture, which are widely used in scientific instrumentation, in Space, medicine, control of technological processes and in ecology;
- Creation of essentially new spectral-adaptive systems of vision and recognition of objects;
- The idea to use of Michelson interferometer for detection of gravitational waves, which laid in the basis of the large project being implemented in the USA, — the construction of underground 4-th kilometer Mihelson interferometer, was put forward.