Similar to Samsung, Sony also filed a patent for a liquid lens. Instead of rotating the focus ring, like on a traditional lens, liquid lenses are controlled by electricity that changes the different refractive indexes of the liquid the light passes through:
"Disclosed is a liquid lens element. The liquid lens element includes a main body, a lens surface, and a first reflection surface. The main body has a light incident surface and a light exiting surface and includes a liquid chamber formed therein. The lens surface changes orientation of light that exits the light exiting surface by being electrically deformed, and the lens surface is formed of an interface between two liquids that are contained in the liquid chamber and have refractive indexes. The first reflection surface reflects part of light that enters the light incident surface toward an optical axis of the lens surface, and the first reflection surface is provided to the main body."
One of the main advantage of liquid lenses is small size and low power consumption which will make them best suited for the cell phone industry.
