Core77

The problem with zoom lenses is that they have to zoom, meaning two different lenses must mechanically increase the distance between them. This adds bulk to cameras; take a look at any sports photographer's Canon cannon and you know what we mean.

But a French company named Varioptic has been working on camera lenses made out of liquid droplets, rather than glass, for years, and they've recently been able to incorporate zooming features. With Varioptic's technolgoy you needn't physically moves the liquid lenses relative to each other, you just need to change their shape (and therefore focal length), which can be accomplished electrically.

Liquid lenses are also more rugged than glass ones--paradoxically, they are able to withstand violent shaking without losing their shape or breaking. They also zoom within milliseconds, much faster than a mechanical zoom.

What does this mean for product designers? Once Varioptics perfects the tech, we'll be able to incorporate absolutely tiny, yet fast and powerful lenses in everything from laptops to cell phones.

Science geeks can see how it all works here.