Dr. Alfred D. Ducharme
CTO at Hoverfly Technologies, Inc.
SPIE Involvement:
Author | Instructor
Area of Expertise:
MTF , Laser Speckle , Solid-State Lighting , Optical Systems Testing , LED , Optics
Profile Summary

Alfred D. Ducharme is a distinguished electrical engineer and innovator with a prolific career in academia and industry. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Central Florida and a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts – Lowell. As the Chief Technology Officer at Hoverfly Technologies, Ducharme played a pivotal role in advancing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, notably developing the world's first professional multi-rotor flight controller, HoverflyPRO and HoverflyGPS, used by National Geographic Explorer Team. He holds over 30 U.S. and international patents, reflecting his inventive contributions to solid-state lighting, UAV systems, and optical technologies.

Throughout his academic career at the University of Central Florida, Ducharme significantly contributed to the development of the BSEET-Photonics degree program, expanding engineering education and online course delivery. His leadership as Assistant Dean of Distance and Distributed Learning was marked by the modernization of distance education systems, impacting thousands of engineering students. Ducharme's research interests span optical testing, LED technologies, and robotics, with numerous publications and awards, including the prestigious Rudolf Kingslake Award from SPIE. His career reflects a deep commitment to innovation, education, and the practical application of engineering principles.
Publications (13)

SPIE Journal Paper | 1 September 2008
Alfred Ducharme, Sarah Temple
OE, Vol. 47, Issue 09, 093601, (September 2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.2976798
KEYWORDS: Modulation transfer functions, Detector arrays, Speckle, Spatial frequencies, Charge-coupled devices, Imaging systems, Cameras, Sensors, Distance measurement, Speckle pattern

Proceedings Article | 29 August 2008 Paper
Proceedings Volume 7060, 70600U (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.792520
KEYWORDS: Modulation transfer functions, Detector arrays, Speckle, Spatial frequencies, Charge-coupled devices, Sensors, Imaging systems, Speckle pattern, Distance measurement, Cameras

Proceedings Article | 5 December 2001 Paper
Alfred Ducharme, Fritz Morgan
Proceedings Volume 4445, (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.450036
KEYWORDS: Light emitting diodes, Light sources and illumination, Solid state lighting, Prototyping, Network architectures, Control systems, Analog electronics, Power supplies, Sensors, Manufacturing

Proceedings Article | 3 February 1999 Paper
Alfred Ducharme, Constantine Markos, R. Rieder, Geert Wijntjes
Proceedings Volume 3541, (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.339087
KEYWORDS: Transducers, Sensors, Actuators, Modulation, Phase measurement, Signal detection, Fiber optics, Electromagnetic coupling, Fiber optics sensors, Distance measurement

Proceedings Article | 11 August 1998 Paper
Alfred Ducharme, Peter Baum, Geert Wijntjes, Orr Shepherd, Constantine Markos
Proceedings Volume 3362, (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.317435
KEYWORDS: Transmitters, Receivers, Modulation, Semiconductor lasers, Optical tracking, Sensors, Head, Optical metrology, Magnetic sensors, Magnetism

Showing 5 of 13 publications
Course Instructor
SC156: Basic Optics for Engineers
This course introduces each of the following basic areas of optics, from an engineering point of view: geometrical optics, image quality, flux transfer, sources, detectors, and lasers. Basic calculations and concepts are emphasized.
SC157: MTF in Optical and Electro-Optical Systems
Modulation transfer function (MTF) is used to specify the image quality achieved by an imaging system. It is useful in analysis of situations where several independent subsystems are combined. This course provides a background in the application of MTF techniques to performance specification, estimation and characterization of optical and electro-optical systems.
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