ʻO Charles Kao, ka mea nāna i ʻike i kekahi o nā waiwai kino o ke aniani i nā makahiki 1960, ua hoʻokumu i ke kahua no ke kamaʻilio ʻikepili wikiwiki i ka wā ʻike a ua ʻike ʻia ʻo ia ʻo "ka makuakāne o ke kamaʻilio fiber optical." Ma mua o ka hana paionia a Kauka Kao, ua manaʻo nui ʻia ʻaʻole kūpono nā olonā aniani ma ke ʻano he alakaʻi o ka ʻike ma muli o ka nalowale nui o ka hōʻailona i hoʻokumu ʻia e ka hoʻopuehu ʻana o ka mālamalama. Ua ʻike ʻo Kauka Kao ma ka hoʻomaʻemaʻe pono ʻana i ke aniani, hiki ke hana i nā puʻupuʻu o nā olonā maikaʻi e hiki ke hoʻouna i ka nui o ka ʻike ma nā wahi lōʻihi me ka liʻiliʻi o ka hōʻailona a hiki ke pani i nā uea keleawe no ke kamaʻilio ʻana. Ua kaʻana like ʻo ia i ka makana Nobel 2009 ma Physics me ka physicist Kanada ʻo Willard S. Boyle (1924-2011) a me ka ʻepekema ʻAmelika ʻo George E. Smith (1930-), I ka hui pū ʻana, ua hana lākou i kahi mea i hoʻopili ʻia no ka hoʻololi ʻana i ka ʻike optical i nā hōʻailona uila. ʻO nā olonā optical a me nā mea i hoʻopili ʻia e hiki ai i nā kamaʻilio broadband kahi e hilinaʻi ai ka ʻike lapaʻau o kēia wā a me ka hoʻopuka uila, e like me nā mea hana kiʻi kikoʻī i nā mea ophthalmic a me nā microscope.

Ua hānau ʻia ʻo Charles Kao ma Nowemapa 4, 1933, ma Shanghai, Kina. Ua loaʻa i kona makuakāne, he loio, kāna Kauka Juris mai ke Kulanui o Michigan i ka makahiki 1925 a ma hope ua lilo ʻo ia i polopeka ma ke Kulanui ʻo Soochow ma Shanghai. I kona wā kamaliʻi, ua aʻo ʻo Kauka Kao i ka palapala Kina kahiko ma ka home me kahi kumu aʻo a ua aʻo ʻo ia i ka ʻōlelo Pelekania a me ka ʻōlelo Palani ma ke kula honua ma Shanghai.

I ka makahiki 1948, ua hoʻoneʻe ʻo Kauka Kao i kona ʻohana i Hong Kong. I ka makahiki 1952, ua hoʻopau ʻo Kauka Kao i ke kula kiʻekiʻe ma ke Kulanui ʻo St. Joseph. A laila ua hele ʻo ia i ʻEnelani e hoʻopau i kāna mau haʻawina laepua ma ke ʻenekinia uila ma Woolwich Polytechnic (ʻo ke Kulanui ʻo Greenwich i kēia manawa). I ka makahiki 1965, ua loaʻa iā Kauka Kao ke kekelē kauka ma ke ʻenekinia uila mai ke Kulanui o Ladana a ua hana ʻo ia ma ke ʻano he ʻenekinia ma ke Kikowaena Noiʻi Kelepona a me ke Kaula ma Harlow, ʻEnelani.

I ka makahiki 1970, ua komo ʻo ia i ke Kulanui Kina o Hong Kong e hoʻokumu i ka 'Oihana ʻenekinia uila. I ka makahiki 1974, ua neʻe ʻo ia i Roanoke, Virginia, USA, e hana no ITT Corporation (ʻoihana makua o ke kelepona Standard a me ke kaula) ma ke ʻano he ʻepekema nui a ma hope ma ke ʻano he alakaʻi o ka ʻenekinia. I loko o kēia wā, ua waiho ʻia nā palapala Sila Nui he nui e pili ana i ka fiber optics. I ka makahiki 1982, ua kapa ʻia ʻo ia ʻo ia ka ʻepekema hoʻokō mua o ITT a neʻe akula i Connecticut, kahi i lawelawe ai ʻo ia ma ke ʻano he polopeka kōkua ma ke Kulanui ʻo Yale. I ka makahiki 1987, ua hoʻi ʻo Kauka Kao i ke Kulanui Kina o Hong Kong ma ke ʻano he Hope Pelekikena. Ua hoʻomaha ʻo ia i ka makahiki 1996 a mai ia manawa ua paʻa ʻo ia i nā kūlana polopeka kipa a me nā kūlana hanohano like ʻole.

I ka makahiki 2004, ua ʻike ʻia ʻo Kauka Kao me ka maʻi Alzheimer, a ua neʻe akula ʻo ia a me kāna wahine, ʻo may-wan, he mea papahana Fortran mua āna i hālāwai ai i kāna aʻo ʻana ma Ladana i nā makahiki 1950, i Kaleponi e kokoke aku i kā lāua mau keiki. Ma hope o ka hāʻawi ʻia ʻana o ka Nobel Prize iā Kauka Kao, ua ʻōlelo kāna wahine ma kahi hālāwai ninaninau e hoʻohana ʻia ka makana e uku no nā lilo lapaʻau o Kauka Kao, ʻo ia paha ka manawa mua i hoʻohana ʻia ai ka Nobel Prize no ia kumu.

Ua hoʻopuka ʻia kahi sila Hong Kong e hoʻomanaʻo ana iā Kauka Kao i ka makahiki 2010. Ma waho aʻe o ka Nobel Prize, ua loaʻa iā Kauka Kao nā makana he nui, me ka Faraday Medal i ka makahiki 1989, ka Alexander Graham Medal i ka makahiki 1985, ka Marconi Medal i ka makahiki 1985, a me nā kekelē hanohano he nui mai nā kulanui a me nā koleke a puni ka honua.