LabVIEW Controlled Laser Spirograph

Abstract

Mathematical functions can be represented through formulas and visualized with diagrams showing their results for specific input parameters. This is often a static presentation that is hard to interpret. With a laser spirograph, which uses mirrors attached to motors and reflects a laser beam, these functions can be more easily changed and visualized. The created laser patterns can be matched to mathematical models in the form of parametric equations. This study compared the physical pattern with a computer generated model having the same input parameters to observe differences and similarities between the two methods.