Patent ID: 7821700

Claim:
A device for modulating light, comprising: an enclosure to enclose a plurality of motiles; an optically neutral fixed geometry component located within the enclosure, shaped and dimensioned to provide a conformal surface, wherein the fixed geometry component comprises three walled structures disposed in a linear configuration, each walled structure defining a cavity, wherein one of the walls of each structure forms the conformal surface, and wherein each walled structure is of a different size and produces a different optical response to incident light when said motiles conform to the conformal surface thereof; and a displacement mechanism to displace the motiles to form a motile shell on the conformal surface, the motiles altering the optical properties of the fixed geometry component so that it has a response to incident light from outside the enclosure based on the shape and dimensions of the conformal surface; wherein said response is based on one of interference, diffraction, and reflection.