Caustics

Research Smart Materials Complex Assemblies Computational Design Computational Caustics Past Projects

Press

RTS.ch - nouvo - French:
Ils ont apprivoisé la lumière
EPFL news - English:
Choreographing light
antena3.com - El Hormiguero - Spanish:
Cuadro de cristal
euronews.com - hi-tech - German:
Blick in den Zauberspiegel
Audio Cultura RSI - Italian (start at 5:22):
Creatività e tecnologia

Contact

For more information, please contact lgg-info@epfl.ch

Summary

Caustics are captivating light patterns created by materials bundling or diverting light by refraction or reflection. We know caustics as random side effects, appearing, for example, at the bottom of a swimming pool. In this work we show that it is possible to control caustic patterns to form almost any desired shape by optimizing the geometry of the reflective or refractive surface generating the caustic. We demonstrate how this surprising result offers a new perspective on light control and the use of caustics as an inspiring design element. Several produced prototypes illustrate that physical realizations of such optimized geometry are feasible.

For more information, see also the EPFL spinoff company Rayform SA.