Mirrors have come a long way since the humble polished stones or reflective fragments of natural volcanic ‘glass’ first used by Man thousands of years ago. Today, mirrors play an invaluable role not just in our homes but in contributing to safety, healthcare, renewable energy and even military hardware.
In fact, the mirror is no longer a simple ‘looking glass’ – by combining modern technology with mirrors we are developing new practical and entertaining uses for them as these 5 modern miracle mirrors prove.
The Magic Mirror is clever enough to allow you to visualize how you might look in ‘virtual’ clothes; ask it to show you in a red tie and the mirror will detect your position in front of the mirror and add a perfectly-placed digital red tie to your reflection. If you decide a red tie doesn’t suit you, you ask the mirror to visualize a differently colored tie. The domestic and commercial uses for this mirror are, as they say, endless.
Using face-tracking software, the mirror-artwork is called "All the Universe is full of the Lives of Perfect Creatures" and displays a different animal’s face in place of your own each time you look in it. That’s one way to get the kids to brush their teeth...
These light fluctuations are interpreted by software on a laptop built into the mirror and displayed as a highly accurate numeric representation of your heart rate on the mirror. Poh intends to modify the mirror to monitor and report on other vital signs such as respiratory rate, and if successful his so called ‘medical mirror’ could revolutionize the way in which patients’ health is measured in clinics and hospitals.
The Mirror Shop are retailers of innovative mirror designs such as mirrored furniture
Faizan Ahmad
About the Author:
This article is posted by Faizan who is the Author and Founder of TechSenser. He is a Professional Blogger from India and a passionate writer about Technology, Gadgets, How-to-Guides, etc. You can connect him on Google+.
In fact, the mirror is no longer a simple ‘looking glass’ – by combining modern technology with mirrors we are developing new practical and entertaining uses for them as these 5 modern miracle mirrors prove.
The digital mirror with built in browser
The invention of a mirror that could deliver the morning’s news headlines, advertisements, video and other information whilst you shaved or applied your make up was inevitable, and the research and development arm of the New York Times has done just that. In a move that would impress even Snow White, the so-called ‘Magic Mirror’ uses the same technology employed by Microsoft’s Kinetic games console to recognize both movement and voice commands and respond accordingly.The Magic Mirror is clever enough to allow you to visualize how you might look in ‘virtual’ clothes; ask it to show you in a red tie and the mirror will detect your position in front of the mirror and add a perfectly-placed digital red tie to your reflection. If you decide a red tie doesn’t suit you, you ask the mirror to visualize a differently colored tie. The domestic and commercial uses for this mirror are, as they say, endless.
The mirror that brings out the animal in you
Have you ever peered in the mirror and realised you look dog-tired or like a bear with a sore head? New York artist Karolina Sobecka has created a mirror that actually replaces your reflection with a realistic three-dimensional image of an animal’s head which reacts in accordance to your own facial movements and expressions; stick out your tongue and your animal-head reflection will mimic you perfectly.Using face-tracking software, the mirror-artwork is called "All the Universe is full of the Lives of Perfect Creatures" and displays a different animal’s face in place of your own each time you look in it. That’s one way to get the kids to brush their teeth...
The liquid mirror
If you’ve seen the movie ‘The Matrix’ you may remember a scene in which Keanu Reeves prods a mirror which then ripples like a liquid. Science fiction? Nope. Canadian researchers have perfected the use of highly reflective ferromagnetic liquid metals to create controllable liquid mirrors that can be used in a range of optical applications, including astronomy where liquid mirrors could replace less-effective and highly expensive conventional adaptive optic systems.The mirror that could save your life
Wouldn’t it be great if you could obtain an assessment of your own vital signs just by looking in the mirror? Electrical and medical engineer Ming-Zher Poh thought so, and created a mirror that displays your heart rate when you look into it. The two-way mirror contains a web-cam which can detect the fluctuations in the light naturally absorbed by blood as it pulses through the body.These light fluctuations are interpreted by software on a laptop built into the mirror and displayed as a highly accurate numeric representation of your heart rate on the mirror. Poh intends to modify the mirror to monitor and report on other vital signs such as respiratory rate, and if successful his so called ‘medical mirror’ could revolutionize the way in which patients’ health is measured in clinics and hospitals.
The ultimate safe-driving mirror
Using a technology called Holographic Laser Projection, British company Light Blue Optics have created a prototype projector capable of turning a car’s wing mirror or rear-view mirror into a real-time Heads Up Display (HUD). This allows information to be superimposed over the mirror’s reflection, providing drivers with critical road safety information without them needing to break concentration by, for example, looking at their sat-nav system. Could this be the end of those reverse-parking mishaps?The Mirror Shop are retailers of innovative mirror designs such as mirrored furniture
About the Author:
This article is posted by Faizan who is the Author and Founder of TechSenser. He is a Professional Blogger from India and a passionate writer about Technology, Gadgets, How-to-Guides, etc. You can connect him on Google+.