In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, we meet a trio of scientists who are involved in different projects at the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics in Glasgow, UK.

David Stothard, co-head of lasers and laser systems at Fraunhofer, talks about the challenges of creating a device to detect leaks of hydrogen gas. Senior researcher Anne-Marie Haughey describes  a device that identifies the types of bacteria present in a clinical sample. Finally, principal researcher Adam Polak explains the science behind a device that uses laser light to identify the contents of pharmaceutical pills.