Home

How to Make a Digital "Magic Mirror" That You Can Control from Your Phone

A vintage mirror with a decorative frame reflecting an apple illustration.

Fool your friends, scare your cat, play a game while also admiring your physique! This "magic" mirror lets you do all that and more by letting you display words, pictures, videos, and even some games—all controllable through a mobile phone.

It works by rigging an LED matrix behind a two-way mirror.

Ornate golden picture frame with a reflective surface placed on a cluttered workbench.

Back view of a disassembled electronic device mounted on a chair.

The matrix is controlled by a IOIO microprocessor, and can be interacted with via an Android phone's Bluetooth.

How to Make a Digital "Magic Mirror" That You Can Control from Your Phone

A decorative mirror with an ornate frame hanging on a green wall.

Best of all, the creator documented the entire project, compiling a very handy tutorial on how you can build your own interactive mirror. It's currently just a prototype, but one can easily imagine potential implementations such a device might have.

Man holding a smartphone displaying an app, with a decorative wall featuring a framed number 8 in the background.

If any clever WonderHowTo readers can come up with some cool uses for the idea, let us know!

You already know how to use your phone. With Gadget Hacks' newsletter, we'll show you how to master it. Each week, we explore features, hidden tools, and advanced settings that give you more control over iOS and Android than most users even know exists.