#Magic window windows#
"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, 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.
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