OLED
by Benjamin Ross
Motion. Light. Magic. You may think this is a great description for cinema, but what about your ceiling? The enchanted ceiling that mimics the sky, and the newspapers with moving pictures from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels may soon be a reality. Welcome to the world of OLED.
People have long been fascinated by the idea of the moving page. Beyond television, to the auto updating newspaper, the portable, flexible TV, and the retractable computer screen. OLED technology may bring all of these to life and more. OLED stands for "Organic Light Emitting Diodes" and is a new light and screen technology currently in development. With extremely low power consumption (as low as 2 volts), greater brightness levels than current LCDs, high durability and flexibility, as well as being very light weight, OLED technology has a mind blowing array of possibilities.
While the first likely commercial version, announced by Seimmens, will bring motion to packaging such as cereal boxes at no more than a few cents a square inch, there is already talk of moving advertisements being publish in high end magazines as well. Further developments included screens that roll up inside pen-sized cases, fabrics with interactive screens built into the sleeves, video wall-paper, and possibly even screens that can be applied to a flat surface like paint.
With the latest advances in OLED technology scientists have been able to create stable long lasting white light as well. This means that OLED could potentially replace even the good ol' light bulb. Because the organic matter is transparent when inactive it has also been suggested that it be built into windows and doors that appear normal during the day, but become a daylight mimicking light source at night.
It won't be long before the kids can watch the clouds roll by on the nursery ceiling, while you keep track of them from a display on your shirt. Until then, it would be great to see Homestarrunner cartoons published as a weekly in the New York Times.