4 ms·

was hoping for more technical details. maybe they're still going through the patent application?

deutronium 14y ago
Here's the patent http://www.google.com/patents/US8180606 http://www.google.com/patents/US8180606 but it doesn't mean much to me.
- Hopka 14y ago
  This patent is not for the non-reversing mirror but for another type of mirror which was invented earlier.
  - deutronium 14y ago
    Oh sorry, yep, you're right
andrewcooke 14y ago
according to the wikipedia article it's a surface of micro-mirrors that work in pairs. so it's basically a pair of mirrors scaled down and repeated. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-reversing_mirror http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-reversing_mirror not very exciting really.
- shardling 14y ago
  I imagine the hard part is actually optimizing that array of mirrors.
- joshdick 14y ago
  No, that is not what Prof. Hicks made. His mirror is a single curved piece. Source: I am a former undergrad research assistant of his.
  - andrewcooke 14y ago
    huh. thanks. so that's the second type listed at wikipedia? or am i confused? perhaps you or he could fix / clarify the wikipedia article? i guess i could but it feels odd to do it third-hand...
    - joshdick 14y ago
      I wish I could give you a link to one of Prof. Hicks's published papers on the topic, but I'm having trouble finding one that isn't behind a paywall. This seems like a nice introduction: http://www.math.drexel.edu/~ahicks/papers/physics-today.pdf http://www.math.drexel.edu/~ahicks/papers/physics-today.pdf If you have access to journals through a university, you could take a look at some of his papers yourself (His website is http://www.math.drexel.edu/~ahicks/ http://www.math.drexel.edu/~ahicks/). They're easy enough for a sophomore to recreate the results. (I know, because I did for an independent study with Prof. Hicks.)
shardling 14y ago
The thing was around in 2009. This particular article is about an art exhibit that involves the mirror.

Here's the patent http://www.google.com/patents/US8180606 http://www.google.com/patents/US8180606 but it doesn't mean much to me.

Hopka 14y ago
This patent is not for the non-reversing mirror but for another type of mirror which was invented earlier.
- deutronium 14y ago
  Oh sorry, yep, you're right

andrewcooke 14y ago

according to the wikipedia article it's a surface of micro-mirrors that work in pairs. so it's basically a pair of mirrors scaled down and repeated. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-reversing_mirror http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-reversing_mirror not very exciting really.

shardling 14y ago
I imagine the hard part is actually optimizing that array of mirrors.
joshdick 14y ago
No, that is not what Prof. Hicks made. His mirror is a single curved piece. Source: I am a former undergrad research assistant of his.
- andrewcooke 14y ago
  huh. thanks. so that's the second type listed at wikipedia? or am i confused? perhaps you or he could fix / clarify the wikipedia article? i guess i could but it feels odd to do it third-hand...
  - joshdick 14y ago
    I wish I could give you a link to one of Prof. Hicks's published papers on the topic, but I'm having trouble finding one that isn't behind a paywall. This seems like a nice introduction: http://www.math.drexel.edu/~ahicks/papers/physics-today.pdf http://www.math.drexel.edu/~ahicks/papers/physics-today.pdf If you have access to journals through a university, you could take a look at some of his papers yourself (His website is http://www.math.drexel.edu/~ahicks/ http://www.math.drexel.edu/~ahicks/). They're easy enough for a sophomore to recreate the results. (I know, because I did for an independent study with Prof. Hicks.)

shardling 14y ago

The thing was around in 2009. This particular article is about an art exhibit that involves the mirror.