Applications of a transmissive twisting ball display

A method comprising the steps of:

• providing light from a light source incident on a modulating device, the device comprising a plurality of spheroidal balls rotatably disposed in a substrate,
• each ball comprising a plurality of segments arrayed substantially parallel to one another, each segment being adjacent to at least one other segment and to no more than two other segments, each segment adjacent to exactly one other segment being an exterior segment and each segment adjacent to exactly two other segments being an interior segment, adjacent segments being adjoined to one another at substantially planar interfaces, each segment having an optical modulation characteristic, the optical modulation characteristics of adjacent segments being different from one another, the plurality of segments including
• a first exterior segment,
• a second exterior segment, and
• a transparent interior segment,
• each spheroidal ball having an anisotropy for providing an electrical dipole moment, the electrical dipole moment rendering the ball electrically responsive such that when the ball thus rotatably disposed is subjected to a nonoscillating electric field while the electrical dipole moment of said ball is provided, the ball tends to rotate to an orientation in which the electrical dipole moment aligns with the field;
• modulating with the modulating device at least a portion of the light incident on the modulating device;
• and
• providing the light thus modulated to an observer for viewing.

A method comprising the steps of:

• providing light from a light source incident on an addressable element of a light-modulating apparatus, said element comprising a rotatable electrically anisotropic spheroidal ball, the ball having a center point and comprising a plurality of segments arrayed substantially parallel to one another, each segment being adjacent to at least one other segment and to no more than two other segments, each segment adjacent to exactly one other segment being an exterior segment and each segment adjacent to exactly two other segments being an interior segment, adjacent segments being adjoined to one another at substantially planar interfaces, each segment having a thickness and an optical modulation characteristic, the optical modulation characteristics of adjacent segments being different from one another, the plurality of segments including
• a transparent interior central segment including the center point,
• first and first and second in exterior segments, and
• first and second interior segments adjacent to the central segment and situated opposite one another with respect to the central segment, at least one of the first and second interior segments having a color, the thickness of the central segment being greater than the thicknesses of each of the first and second interior segments;
• and
• addressing said element by applying an electric field thereto to facilitate a rotation of the ball therein.

A material comprising:

• a substrate;
• and
• a plurality of spheroidal balls disposed in the substrate,
• each ball comprising a plurality of component regions including
• a first component region having a first optical modulation characteristic, and
• a second component region having a second optical modulation characteristic,
• at least one component region of each ball being transparent, at least one component region of each ball having a chromatic color, each ball having an anisotropy for providing an electrical dipole moment, the electrical dipole moment rendering the ball electrically responsive such that when the ball is rotatably disposed in a nonoscillating electric field while the electrical dipole moment of the ball is provided, the ball tends to rotate to an orientation in which the electrical dipole moment aligns with the field.