PROJECTS: LUNCHBOX LASER SHOWS
makezine.com/20/lunchboxen
ondizer generates patterns that
D
Lumia
Laser A shines into a front surface mirror B , which reflects its beam up
through the rotating lumia wheel C . Patterns or textures in the transparent
wheel bend and break up the beam, and because the light is coherent, this
generates interference patterns D of alternating light and dark. As the laser
shines through different parts of the wheel, the wispy patterns change shape.
This effect is named after Thomas Wilfred’s Lumia performances from the
1930s, in which he reflected colored spotlights off rotating, crumpled metallic
foil. Using a front surface mirror (aka first surface mirror) prevents the “
ghosting” that results when light reflects off a conventional mirror’s front surface as
well as its silvered back.
C
B
;
:
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Diffracterator
Laser shines through a rotating, transmissive
diffraction grating , which splits it into multiple
beams. Each sub-beam then bounces off rotating,
reflective diffraction grating which further
splits the beams to create a dense, swirling
spread. The beam array then shines through the
Wobbulator , a transparent, rotating disc with
a warp that bends the beams. The result is an
enveloping star-field of laser dots that periodically
bend and shape-shift, then return to normal motion,
possibly inducing vertigo, but in a good way.
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Motiondizer
Small front-surface mirrors
are glued to a pair of stereo
speakers and . As the
speakers play music, the
mirrors vibrate. Laser
shines a beam that bounces
from one mirror to the other
along a wiggling trajectory
determined by the speakers’
movements. One speaker
is angled so that the
beam exits straight up.
9
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Illustrations by James Provost
112 Make: Volume 20
