What is a Liquid Lens?
By Alix Paultre A liquid lens uses one or more fluids to create an infinitely-variable lens without any moving parts by controlling the meniscus (the surface of the liquid.) There are two primary types, transmissive and reflective. These are not to be confused with liquid-formed lenses that are created by placing a drop of plastic or epoxy on a surface, which is then allowed to harden into a lens shape. Reflective liquid lenses are actually variable mirrors, and are used in reflector telescopes in place of traditional glass mirrors. When a container of fluid (in this case, mercury) is rotated, centripetal force creates a smooth reflective concavity that is ideally suited for telescope applications. Normally, such a smooth curved surface has to be meticulously ground and polished into glass in an extremely expensive and tricky process (remember the Hubble Space Telescope mirror fiasco?) A reflective liquid lens would never suffer from that problem, as a simple change in rotation speed w
We’ve all been drinking a cold soda when the condensation on the side drips off. You may notice that whatever is under the water drop is magnified. That’s a simple version of a liquid lens. A liquid lens uses the properties of two different liquids within a small space to provide magnification. Water and oil do not mix, and are both safe and inexpensive, so they are perfect for use in a liquid lens. The mixture of water and oil is sandwiched between two pieces of clear glass or plastic. In this way, a light, cheap liquid lens is created. Because water adheres to glass or plastic, it naturally forms a bubble shape. This bubble shape within the liquid lens creates magnification and variable focus. The oil component of the liquid lens fills in the rest of the space to keep the water from sloshing around. Any gadget which requires a small, light lens can benefit from the use of liquid lens technology. Cell phone cameras, small digital cameras, and many other types of consumer electronics u
