Disney Research Printed Optics Breaths Life Into Interactive Devices [Video]

Disney Research never fails to baffle you. They put technology to such creative use that one can only be amazed by the exclusivity and enormity of its future at the same time. This time, Disney Researchers bring for us a new 3D printing technology called the 'Printed Optics' that enable sensing, display, and illumination elements to be directly embedded in the casing or mechanical structure of an interactive device. What does that mean? Well, this technology is just set out to bring uniqueness in the way we interact with devices. Using this, unique display surfaces or completely new illumination techniques will be a reality and highly customizable devices will materialize. With vision of a future where the interactive devices consisting of active components are created as a single object instead of an individually assembled case that encloses the circuit boards, Disney researchers are definitely paving the way for better.

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With demonstration  of techniques that display information using 3D printed ‘light pipes’ and internal air pockets or sensing user input with 3D printed optical elements, you will have to see the video to believe how truly amazing this concept it. And for those interested in the science behind it all, the link in the source points to the PDF which is a paper published by the Disney team that discusses the process for 3D printing optical elements and the unique capabilities that this technology enables. Do take a look -

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