Non-Reflective E Ink “Magic Mirror”

For some time, enterprising hackers have created “magic mirror” devices that use normally one-way glass to show not only your reflection, but also shine data through the glass via a concealed monitor when needed. Normal computer displays that emit their own light are great for this purpose, but up until now, it seems that no one has tried to make such a device with an E Ink screen.

Well, as it turns out, that may still be the case, and actually doing so would take an interesting bit of hacking at the least to get it to work. Instead, this display by Ben Roe uses a Raspberry Pi Zero to run a local MagicMirror site, then takes a screenshot of it to push to a 7.5-inch Waveshare E Ink display. So yes, it’s a magic mirror in software only —which is available here for download — though it’s interesting to see this type of device become so well known that referring to the display by that moniker doesn’t actually seem that silly.

If you’re really interested in the concept, perhaps you could cut a hole in an actual mirror as a frame, or modify its silver backing. While it would be less magical and certainly not as subtle, at least you’d be saving a bit of power!

[h/t: Reddit]