Determination of refractive index of liquids using a machine vision sensor and a programmable device

Abstract In this implementation, it is proposed a measurement method and/or educational-demonstrative resource that determines the refractive index of a liquid. A method can be found in the literature which relates the diameter of an object to the diameter of its amplified image when it is introduced in a container filled with the liquid on an unknown refractive index. Therefore, this proposal is based on measuring the diameter of the amplified image related to a cylindrical object immersed in a beaker, by means of using the color recognition function of an artificial intelligence camera; while the data processing will be carried out with the use of a micro:bit board. Finally, the result will be displayed in a 128 × 64 OLED screen. According to the characteristics and materials used in the proposal, it can be perfectly applied in undergraduate and graduate levels in the field of Physics or Engineering. Furthermore, the proposed device does not require an external computer or specialized software for use, thus also offering easy assembly, portability and automation.