3 ms·
There are many techniques for optical beam steering. It some cases you can use MEMs devices (like DLPs) or you can apply a voltage across a optically clear mate
by gallamine 9y ago
There are many techniques for optical beam steering. It some cases you can use MEMs devices (like DLPs) or you can apply a voltage across a optically clear material that changes its properties under the electric field. This is used to bend the light in certain directions (think of an electrically controllable prism.)
- ethagknight 9y agoMEMs (as in a DLP tv) seems less than an ideal for the abuse a vehicle takes. Curious if the other option you mention is similar to a cathode ray tube?
- web007 9y agoIt depends on the implementation, the concept seems fragile but they can be amazingly resilient. There are a bunch of MEMS accelerometers that support ranges in the 10s to 100s of Gs.
- hwillis 9y agoSquare cube law. The mass (cube) of microscopic features is very small compared to their surface area (square), which dictates how thick their connections are. That means they have very little inertia and as long as they aren't scratched or wet they're very resilient. Electro-optic materials are more like LCDs. Light interacts with the material and the material interacts with electricity. In a cathode ray tube there are electrons, not light, and they interact directly with the electric and magnetic fields. CRTs also need a dozen-odd fields to form a good beam, or 30+ for things like electron microscopes.
- hwillis 9y agoDon't forget optical nanoantennas! Essentially a wiggly waveguide- you set up a standing wave inside it and light exits the wiggles at a specific angle, which can be altered by changing the phase of the standing wave. By having hundreds of wiggles you average out the fabrication error in any individual wiggle and produce an extremely controllable beam. Of course they're still working on the coherent part.