LIGHT PIPES
‘Light pipes’ are 3D printed optical elements, similar to optical fiber, that can be used to guide light from point to point.
Optical fiber has been used in interactive systems for both display and sensing purposes. Unlike conventional optical fiber, 3D printed light pipes allow arbitrary geometries to be created in software and then
fabricated in a single 3D print. Simply by changing software
parameters, light pipes can be created with variable widths,
rounded caps, and joints with other light pipes. In contrast
conventional manufacturing requires considerable effort for
individual fiber optic strands to be mechanically assembled,
fused/deformed with heat, or chemically bonded.