Liquid crystals are materials that can flow like a conventional liquid but have molecules that can be oriented like a solid crystal. This work inspired Hufnagel and colleagues to create a magic window based on liquid crystals. He later extended this knowledge to develop a theoretical basis for transparent magic windows in addition to reflective magic mirrors. “The ability to obtain a long depth of focus could also make the approach useful for 3D displays that produce stable 3D images even when viewed from different distances.”Īlthough scientists have understood for decades that the ancient bronze magic mirrors formed images as a result of small surface variations, it was not until 2005 that Michael Berry, a mathematical physicist at the University of Bristol in the UK, derived the mathematical basis for this effect. “Using liquid crystals to make magic windows or mirrors could one day make it possible to create a reconfigurable version for producing dynamic artistic magic windows or movies,” said Hufnagel. The process can also be used to create magic mirrors that reflect, rather than transmit, light to create an image. In Optica, Optica Publishing Group’s journal for high-impact research, Hufnagel and colleagues describe the process they developed for creating transparent liquid crystal magic windows that can produce any desired image. “By designing the window to be relatively smooth, the image that is created can be seen over a large range of distances from the window.” “The magic window we created appears perfectly flat to the naked eye but, in fact, has slight variations that create an image in response to light,” said research team leader Felix Hufnagel from the University of Ottawa. It took until the early 20th century for scientists to understand that these devices work because an image cast into the back of the mirror creates small surface variations that cause the image to form – and it took until now for engineers to apply the same principle to liquid crystals for high-tech displays. Thousands of years ago, artisans in China and Japan made bronze mirrors that looked like a normal flat mirror while viewing one’s reflection but formed another image when hit by direct sunlight. The technology represents a new twist on a very old light trick. Inspired by an ancient light trick, technology could enable a new type of 3D displayįor the first time, researchers have used liquid crystals to create a flat magic window - a transparent device that produces a hidden image when light shines on it.
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