iPad and cylindrical mirror used to create optical illusions

With the use of the iPad’s multi-touch capability and a cylindrical mirror, the research group at the Ochanomizu Women’s University has managed to come up with a pretty cool all-round display capable of creating mirror optical illusions. By using the iPad to project 2D visuals onto the cylindrical mirror they managed to create the illusion of a 3D object that can be rotated with the mirror. This technology, called Anamorphicons (a portmanteau of anamorphosis and icon) gives users a full 360 degree view of the object that’s shown on the iPad’s display.

The research team plans to use this technology in shopping sites to make them more user-friendly though I can picture them being used better in games – especially for special puzzles that will require the cylindrical mirror and the iPad. Check out a video of how Anamorphicons works:

George Wong
Categories: Tablets
Tags: iPad, Japan