It’s not as though the Liquid Lens ever went away, it’s just that its inventor - Varioptic has re-engaged FIR to promote it, and we’re thrilled about this development.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Liquid Lens, and Varioptic’s patented “electro-wetting” technology? It works much like the human eye, using electricity to alter the shape of two drops of liquid, to bend light, alter focus, and produce a miniature, but powerful (multi-megapixel) lens. It solves some problems that current optics cannot: it fits into tiny spaces: it doesn’t freeze, melt, crack, or wear out (because it has no moving parts); and it’s inexpensive to mass-produce, because the materials are just drops of oil and water (with some amazing intellectual property mixed in.) The Liquid Lens is actually based on somewhat simple technology, and that’s part of its brilliance. Today, and in the months ahead, the liquid lens is finding a variety of new uses, such as:
PDA’s, camera phones, miniature (high-end) camcorders, and embedded cameras in laptops
Industrial applications, such as scanners, barcode-readers, and security surveillance applications
Automotive applications, including embedded cameras for diagnostics
And a host of medical applications, such as endoscopes and cameras for ophthalmology

If you’d like to find out more about Varioptic, or about the Liquid lens, let me know.