So, we’ve been busy applying for different programs and getting some documentation ready for a few people and we realized that we didn’t have a photo of one of the really cool looking prototypes. JP and I got out into the sun yesterday and snapped a few, and they came out really well.

The LSO in these photos was cut on a diamond turning machine, and in this configuration is a disc, concentrating to the centre. The LSOs in the Simba panels are triangular, but they’re basically just pie slices out of the disc version of the optic.

JP wasn’t posing or anything, I just got him in the shot and it came out looking really cool. Here are some good images of the LSO itself.

Two things to note here. First, at the viewing angle of the photo you can sort of see JP’s hand through the optic, but the LSO’s shadow is just as dark as JP’s hand’s shadow - it’s completely blocking the direct light. Second, that bright spot in the centre is concentrated light reflecting off glitter (like from a craft store) suspended in silicone gel. You need something in the centre to scatter the light, or it would just shine right through to the other side and out the far edges. In the photos it’s saturated, but standing there, it was too bright to look at directly.

The concentration where it strikes the silicone is around 50 suns, although if you popped it out (and you could, easily) and put a point target in the very centre, you could go up to 1000 suns or beyond with this prototype.

Here’s the view edge on - looking through the LSO at the bright spot in the centre.

Pretty cool eh?

Posted in About |

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Trackback from your own site.