Mirror

Many indoor plant enthusiasts know that mirrors can be used to direct more sunlight onto plants that need it. Scientists have now developed a method of applying that same principle to tree seedlings that are struggling to grow in shady forests.

Last year, it was discovered the bluestreak cleaner wrasse could pass the "mirror test", showing that it can recognize its own face in a mirror. Now researchers have found it can actually size itself up against a potential competitor before a fight.

London company Stufish laid out a spectacularly trippy experience for visitors to this year's One Giant Leap technology conference in Saudi Arabia, in which visitors could walk through a colossal kaleidoscope tunnel, surrounded by wild LED visuals.

Using just a few hundred identical atoms, physicists at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics have pieced together the world’s lightest mirror, which is invisible to the naked eye and has a surface measured in mere microns.

The humble rear-view mirror is entering the 21st century with an increasing number of vehicles now featuring digital rear-view mirrors.

Humans can recognize their own face in the mirror, and so can apes, monkeys, dolphins, elephants, and some birds. Now a fish species has passed the mirror test for the first time, which may suggest that the animals are smarter than we give them credit for.

American artist Doug Aitken has installed a mirrored cabin atop a mountain in Switzerland. Inspired by the archetypical traditional cabin in the American west, the project serves as an art piece and will be open to visitors for two years.

​We've already seen hand-mounted rearview mirrors AND hand-mounted LED turn indicators designed for use by cyclists. British entrepreneur Paul Tolley has now combined the two, in the magnetically-activated Mirror Indicate – or Mi, for short.

Mirror, mirror, show my reflection; tell me how to fix my complexion. That's the premise behind HiMirror's HiMirror Classic: a smart-mirror with built-in camera designed to help beauty professionals. But with the new Mini, they're cutting out the go-between so you won't even need to leave the house.

Every concept car worth its salt has been rocking electronic mirrors for years, but 2019's Lexus ES will be the first production car to swap side mirrors for cameras. They'll only be available in Japan for now, but this is surely a sign of things to come.

San Francisco's Naked Labs has started shipping its 3D-scanning smart mirror with rotating scale. Connected to a mobile app, the Naked scales build 3D models of your body, then track them through your hypothetical healthy transformation.

Burning Man isn't lacking in interesting art and architecture, but the next annual desert gathering may feature a large inflatable mirrored globe among all the other unusual structures. Named the Orb, the art piece is being produced by BIG's Bjarke Ingels, along with collaborator Jakob Lange.​