Product Inspiration

I spend a lot of time talking about how important “manufacturability” is. While it takes a bit of fun out of the whole technology research work we do, its very important to our clients to know that the cool technologies we present are not only shown to work in the lab, but also have some promise of being cheaply mass produceable.

OLEDs are finally living up to the promise of being cheaply mass produceable, as GE has just demonstrated its roll-to-roll printing system for the thin, flexible displays. If the other promises also ring true, this will mean cheap, flexible displays in everything from cell phones to TVs to bus stop ads.

http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/ge_demonstrates_worlds_first_rollt oroll_manufactured_oled.php

This handheld device acts as x-ray vision, allowing you to see through walls and boxes and get a glimpse of what’s on the other side through its LCD screen. In yet another great example of biomimetics, the developers used lobster vision as the inspiration for this gadget, and use X-ray reflection to create an image.

There have been a few other interesting devices in the last few years which claim to give the same ’see through walls’ ability, such as this x ray scope which uses RF reflection and refraction for building the images. While the lobster vision device seems like it may have better image quality, the dangerous nature of x-rays will probably keep it out of our civilian hands indefinitely.

http://www.poc.com/emerging_products/lexid/default.asp via therawfeed

Unlike conventional glow in the dark material, this new stuff doesn’t need any exposure to sunlight or artificial light to give off useable light for over 12 years. It uses microspheres which house some radioactive gas to produce the light. Luckily, the sphere construction prevents rupture, so there’s no worries about getting accidental exposure to unwanted radiation.

A while back, electroluminescent materials were the new ‘big thing’, and while they provided a cool lighting effect for a low price, they still need power to run. If the claims hold true for this material, we could have a very useful and widespread tool for emergency lighting and safety markings in a few years.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/12/new_light_glows.php

Technorati : betavoltaics, glow in the dark

Every now and then, a movie or TV show that takes place in the future shows some TV set that also sends out smells, wowing audiences and leaving us viewers antsy for that day in the future to come soon. Well, I guess you could say that the future is now: NTT Communications is demoing a new smell-emitting electronic display (they are calling it a billboard, but it looks to be a TV to me) that gives off a variety of scents, depending on the programming of the system. Even better, new smells and programming can be downloaded from the internet.

Notice how the device is being used not to entertain us, but to sell us products. At first, I was kind of put off by this, but then I realized that appealing to our sense of smell accesses a much more primeval part of our brains, and it is much tougher to control our reaction. While you may not end up eating the food that you smell, its pretty much impossible to stop yourself from getting hungry and/or salivating. It would be nice if they used this manipulation of our lower consciousness for better uses, such as sending out a smoke aroma whenever a fire alarm goes off. What other uses could there be for smell-based signaling?

http://www.pinktentacle.com/2007/10/ntt-to-test-digital-aromatic-signs  / via gizmodo

Technorati : display, odor, smell

Every kid eventually learns that chocolate bars and pant pockets don’t mix. At some point, we all have probably left one in either the car, our pocket, or some other hot place for too long, and when we finally open it, the chocolate has melted and turned into a puddle of brown muck.

This Japanese company has made a real slick way of (ideally) preventing this frequent occurrence by adding a temperature sensing sticker to the box. This sticker changes color according to the temperature of the air around it. While temperature-affected color changes are nothing new (some of you may remember hypercolor shirts), I think it is still an underused tool for making cheap and innovative new product features. For example, why can’t I glance at my thermostat from across the room, and tell how hot it is by what hue of red or blue it shows?

http://inventorspot.com/articles/chocolate_bar_stickers_tell_when_8515

Technorati : chocolate, sensor, temperature

Electronic paper that has embedded circuitry, speakers, and batteries are poised to make a big impact in the market over the next 7 years or so. Here is one of the first low-cost applications of this technology.

This is a disposable cardboard display which also has the ability to play sounds to potential viewers. It uses conductive inks and a honeycomb structure to hold all of the electronic trappings. Most importantly, this is a great first example of how this new technology’s low expected price will mean that the posters and signs of the near future will not only bug you visually, but audibly as well.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/11/throwaway_displ.php

A new coating on computer monitors may prevent the smudges and marks that you make whenever you touch the screen. The new technology is based on the same principle as the non-stick frying pan coatings, and would make removing such smudges and stains very easy.

While this will be very useful on TVs and monitors, it could be just as useful on other shiny electronics, such as stereo receivers and speakers, and even further, perhaps the automotive industry could make a car that would seem cleaner using this same technology. Keep an eye on this stuff- it may be the teflon of the next decade.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/korean-firm-claims-smudgefree-co mputer-screen/2007/11/16/1194766928773.html

Technorati : computer monitor, display, self-cleaning
Del.icio.us : computer monitor, self cleaning

Although lots of wearable displays have been coming out lately, most make you look somewhere between clueless and insane. Finally, we’re starting to see some (that are past the concept stage) which are both a wearable display and are somewhat discrete. This particular model is for athletes, and displays the heartbeat and a stopwatch in the corner of the glasses. Hopefully more heads up displays will move towards less obtrusiveness while still being useful.

http://technology.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn12807&feedId=tech_r ss20