The phenakistoscope is an optical device created in the early 1800s by Belgian scientist, Joseph Plateau. It became a popular "parlor toy," and was one of the earliest introductions of complex animation and filmmaking overall.
The contemporary modification of this involves an LED array that strobes in exact synchronicity with the phenkistoscope's animation drawings. This "replaces" the need to look through the shutter slots, and for the mirror.
