May 25, 2005

Lens five times thinner than paper developed Scientists at Canada's Universite Laval have invented a lens that is five times thinner than a piece of paper and can zoom without using mechanical parts. The lens is created by adding a small quantity of photosensitive material to a liquid crystal cell. When a weak electrical current is applied, the crystals realign differently from those in the periphery and thus take on the shape and behavior of a lens.

I think this is cool.

posted by squidranch 19 years ago
  • I think it opens a whole new era of hi-definition pervy up-skirt photography.
  • Very cool! My digicam just got much smaller.
  • You realise we will never have privacy at all, ever again, don't you? Soon you won't be able to drop your drawers in your own fucking apt. for fear of some micro-molecular camera lens up your tuchus.
  • I would take that as a compliment.
  • Oh Chyren, but it will be for the children's safety... and for the war on teh t3rr0r! Things like covert surveillance and getting digitally strip searched at airports are just the little inconveniences we'll have to get used to in the near future... /goes out searching for tinfoil underwear
  • It never occurred to me that incursions on privacy would eventually nullify sexual repression, but it just might happen. If anyone can watch almost anyone else have sex/go to the bathroom/take a shower/whatever, it all of a sudden becomes a lot less interesting and provocative. I mean, we got used to girls in pants and short skirts pretty fast, maybe nudity will be the same.
  • It could go a different way, where incursions on privacy censure sexual expression, and we end up like THX-1138 or 1984 where any 'deviant' behaviour is flagged, logged and participants ostracised. Look at some of the less open-minded groups in America who seem to think that anything other than the missionary posture is a gross sexual deviancy. It depends who owns the cameras I suppose. Yes, this sort of thinking is the stuff of conspiracy-nut nightmare, but then so are so much of the things that have come to pass recently. (in actual fact I believe that increased technology offers increased freedom, to those prepared to embrace the philosophy of a 'stainless steel rat' so to speak)
  • This is total nerd pr0n. Very, very cool. And if somebody wants photos of my wang, they can have 'em for five bucks a pop.
  • Canadians are cool... not only do they give mankind the electric lens but also the backbacon & beer sandwich.
  • Highly cool! I wonder how soon this technology will be be on the market. And I too doubt if anyone would want a picture of my hairy ass.
  • Buck-buck-buck-buck-buck...*pop* goes the mcteezel
  • Ummm, this post went from techo-geek to offers of photos of people's wangs and hairy asses in less than ten postings. Actually, Chy/Nost took it to " pervy up-skirt photography" in one. Fucking perverts...
  • Mmmmmm..... voltage-controlled lenticular distortion *wipes drool from chin*
  • Ummm...to blatantly steal from the genius that is "King of the Hill": The responses to this post are the feces produced when shame eats too much stupidity.
  • Abstract from the Journal of Applied Physics for those who might be interested in the tech-heavy lingo. Hmm, they submitted this last August - - makes me wonder what they've been working on in the meantime? Flagpole, and the blackmoustachio'd faces come marching in, hurrah!
  • It depends who owns the cameras I suppose. I think it would depend, more importantly, on who owns the images the cameras take. not to say that they would be different than the camera owners
  • I was thinking that this might have applications in telescope design. If so, imagine the images we would get from an satelite telescope outfitted with these lenses.
  • a) Contrary to popular belief, UniversitĂ© Laval is not in the city of Laval that sits on the island north of Montreal. b) It's in QuĂ©bec. Yay us.