Magic Eyes- ( not the old "cat eye" tuning indicator )

[robstarr-lite]

interesting article in last weeks New Scientist..."a circular slab of transparent rubber a little smaller than a jam-jar lid,........switch the power on ....rubber stays the same, the view through it changes dramatically....Such lenses could upset everything from high-powered telescopes and military guidance systems to cheap disposable cameras..."

and maybe flashlight lenses....?

subscription required to read article, but they offer a free 7 day trial period...

http://archive.newscientist.com

[gwbaltzell]

Without reading the article this sounds like the Kerr effect. Something I've wanted to exploit for about 35 years but never had the money, time or expertise.

[MacGyverS2000]

Not interested in signing up for any more "freebies" than I have to...anyone interested in cutting and pasting the main prose here?

Thanks.

[gwbaltzell]

This, apparently, is from a promotion the mag. sent out and quoting should not be a copyright violation.
[ QUOTE ]
MAGIC EYES
They look like simple slabs of rubber or plastic. Yet they bend
light like a lens – and change their focus at the flick of a switch.
We investigate a new kind of optics, and why the Pentagon is so
interested…

[/ QUOTE ]

And it still sounds like the Kerr effect.

Want know everything about the vacuum tube "magic eye"?

[gwbaltzell]

Found the whole article quoted on this blog.
NOT the Kerr effect.

[robstarr-lite]

thanks for finding this link GW...recently read about a camera lens ( being introduced for consumer use )using some form of an electronically controlled adjustable lens but misplaced this article......... darn....don't know if its related to the magic eyes.....think NASA or one of the space agencies was also using this lens concept....I’ll keep looking and hopefully find some use for "our" needs thxs.....rob