Does anyone know if there are any effects or routines using that thing that makes it look like an object is there but its not its just an optical illusion?

Its hard to describe but here it is

http://www.alt-gifts.com/gifts/Mirascope......4585.htm

Chris

Pepper's Ghost comes to mind. There are numerous effects possible using that principle.

Wow, I have seen peppers ghost (Disney world, etc) but did not realize how simple it is to pull off! I Want to build one of these in my home lol. I think there has to be a way to work this into a stage illusion but it seems you need to set up huge apparatus even though its simple to pull off. This could be a great way to show a magician on stage and have him vanish and INSTANTLY appear in an impossible location. A Lot of these type illusions are in a box and there is some time between the magician entering and reappearing. You can prob use this miniature version to do the same thing with a spectators borrowed item.. My wheels are turning now Thank you sir.

The object you linked to is not the same princple as Pepper's Ghost. This one uses two invereted parabolic mirrors. The object seems to float in the opening at the top. It is angley.

Yes Jeff is absolutely correct, I've seen these as well and the angles are not so great. Have you guys seen the versions at science centres or Ripley's believe it or not? It's something similar however the angles are much better and the object appears very solid.

I didn't mean to imply that the link was Pepper's Ghost principle... just that Pepper's Ghost was another effect where an object appears to be there but is just an optical illusion.

A cool book to check out is called Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible Written by Jim Steinmeyer. It cover a great peace of history of stage magic but also gives you accounts of the development of the use of reflection and light in illusions. It also covers a lot more and is a great book. Do note it dose not quite cover the back ground of the one first mentioned as that is much later than this book covers but it dose cover peepers ghost and more. The thing to rember is a item like the one in the link would not be about if some one did not work out the science of reflection than apply them in a creative way. It was people like John Pepper & Henry Dircks and many more that took science and presented in a magical way. Ill finsh of saying have a look around at this stuff and with a cearl packet and make up mirror try to recreate a effcete along with applying there ides in to your own presentation you wont go wrong.

Yes, "Hiding the Elephant" is a really good book. A little off-topic, but Jim Steinmeyer's biography of William Robinson/Chung Ling Soo entitled "Glorious Deception" is also a great read!