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Transparent Screens on the Horizon?
mhesseltine writes "According to United Press, researchers in Japan are developing transparent transistors. This could bring about see-through screens like those in Minority Report. Also, I imagine would be better heads-up displays (HUDs) for vehicles, layered flat panel displays, and new methods of interfacing with information screens."
Transparent screens are nothing new. Liquid crystal displays are transparent. As for glowing transparent screens-- well that's something entirely different.
I actually think it'd be hard to see a full colour image behind a HUD type display. The colours in the background would blend with the colours in the HUD display. That's why HUDs always use monocrome green.
Check out the sci-fi flik 'Mission To Mars'. There are at least two examples in M2M where see-through screens are in use...one is in the mars orbiter, where a screen about a meter wide extends down from the ceiling, and the other are the hand-held screens in use on the surface of Mars, where they are not only transparent, but they roll up when not in use. The actors make interesting use of the see-through screens in both cases. Shame the trailers don't show either screen.
That already exists, its called smart glass, or electric glass.
If you're well-to-do you can have windows in your house that you can set anywhere from completely transparent to opaque by turning a dial.
It's basically just LCD tech. It's really expensive stuff, too.
I think everyone missed the point of the article.
This is different, actually having transparent transistors, so you could have an invisible CPU.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
LCD screens aren't completely transparent and they have to be extra bright to make up for it.
Here is a link to more information about lcd displays
lcd transistor
Transparent LCD screens have existed for many, many years. They first appeared in the devices which were used to convert overhead projectors into a sort of ''poor man's projecter" (this was at the time when the only alternatives were 3-gun CRT projectors which were big, heavy, and expensive).
How do you think LCD projectors work? Basically, they shine a bright light through a very small, transparent LCD.
Desktop and Laptop LCDs are also transparent. Most simply have a piece of white plastic on the back of them (to reflect and evenly distribute light from the backlight. Of course, the big problem with LCDs are that they need to be backlit to increase contrast and brightness.
I believe OLEDs were intended to eliminate the need for a backlight, and I'd presume that they'd be transparent like an LCD. Whichever way you look at, we've got some amazing technology headed our way in the next few years.
-- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
Years ago I heard of a laptop where the backlight could be removed from the screen, and the hinge folded flat, so the whole unit could be set on top of an overhead projector.
A little Googling turns up an educational review of projector options where it's briefly mentioned, but I was unable to find any specific reviews of the machines mentioned.
Personally I want a display like that, with an optional diffuser to slip in back so I can use ambient light instead of the backlight, to save power.
Pontiac has put limited HUDs in certain model cars for many years. It was first introduced in the Bonneville SSEi models, in the early 90's as I recall. I had one a few years back in a Grand Prix GTP. They only show speed and turn signals but they're fantastic. I drove the Grand Prix frequently for about a year and it's actually difficult to get used to looking down at a speedometer again.
They use a simple reverse-image LED inside the dashboard which reflects off a mirror aimed up at the windshield. The output appears to be hovering at the lower edge of your vision about a foot or two in front of the car. You can control brightness and you can raise or lower the image (a switch tilts the mirror in the dash). Admittedly, I did always wish it showed more information (particularly RPM). However, that would probably be too much distraction for your average driver.
Sadly, I gather GM owns several patents on this, so nobody else can offer it. I'd pay stupid amounts of money to have it on every car I own, though. It's that useful.
HUDs aside, though, see-through screens would be awful for exactly the same reason nobody really uses see-through windows on their desktop except for a short-term "gee whiz" effect. If see-through surfaces were so great, we'd all be using transparencies for output (B5-style) instead of PWP -- Plain White Paper. :)
Damn, now you've got me jonesin' for a HUD again. Maybe I'll build one into my race car... heh heh...
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