Magnetically actuated solid body PDMS lens

Due to their flexibility, highly transparent silicone materials offer potentials for the development of adjustable optics. Previously realized mechanisms for changing the focal length of a solid silicone lens applied discrete points of force to mechanically deform the geometry. This article describes an approach to adjust the focal length of silicone lenses quickly and precisely. The chosen approach aims for a minimal number of moving components to provide reliability and reduced complexity. A contactless and stepless adjustment is realized by using electromagnetic control. To determine the functionality of the lens, the tunable range of the focal length will be investigated.