The team unveiled disordered mosaic metasurfaces, a mosaic-like pattern of meta pixels that enables multiple optical functions to be performed simultaneously on a single surface.

Haoran Ren notes that, when carefully engineered, disorder can expand capabilities and turn a common engineering drawback into an advantage.

Eleven optical functions can operate at once on one engineered surface, marking a major boost in device versatility and compactness.

Monash University researchers demonstrate that controlled disorder can enhance optical devices, challenging the traditional focus on perfect order.

The mosaic metasurface dramatically reduces the footprint needed for individual functions, freeing space for additional optical capabilities on the same device.

Unlike conventional metasurfaces that perform a single function, the mosaic design clusters multiple functionalities into a smaller footprint by scattering structures rather than enforcing strict order.