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Stretching Crystals Promise Bendy, Full-Color Displays

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the less-eye-stress dept.

NewScientist is reporting that a new approach to crystal formation could help create power-efficient, flexible color displays. These new photonic crystals, structured similar to opals, can be tuned by adjusting the gaps between the crystals. "The beauty of the device is that it can produce the whole spectrum of colors, even ultraviolet and infrared light, using only incident light. As a result, the expensive color filters used in every other color display on the market today, are no longer needed. And because the displays use only reflected ambient light, no power is wasted on back-lighting, as in today's mobile phones, for example. 'They can be viewed just as well in bright sunlight as in indoor light,' team member André Arsenault of the University of Toronto told New Scientist."

5 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. Uhh... by SighKoPath · · Score: 4, Funny

    They can be viewed just as well in bright sunlight as in indoor light
    What about in complete darkness? Gotta keep the basement-dwellers happy...
    1. Re:Uhh... by somersault · · Score: 2, Funny

      Wouldn't it create even more atmosphere if you had to shine torches at the display to be able to see it? And anyone wanting to read an e-book under their covers with a torch could still do it

      --
      which is totally what she said
    2. Re:Uhh... by ThosLives · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's what I figured, but it's much more fun to visualize the version of torch which relies on highly exothermic chemical reactions :-)

      --
      "There are a dozen opinions on a matter until you know the truth. Then there is only one." - CS Lewis (paraprhase)
  2. Sunblock required for computer users by LurkerXXX · · Score: 4, Funny

    "The beauty of the device is that it can produce the whole spectrum of colors, even ultraviolet and infrared light"

    Sweet, now we can get a virus on our computers that gives us sunburn.

    I wonder if Hawaiian Tropic will hire me as a blackhat to ensure they get increased sales from computer users. Maybe they'll introduce me to the girls.

  3. Re:Ha! by Cryolithic · · Score: 5, Funny

    Doesn't use of IE6 lead to automatic revocation of Slashdot privileges? Just sayin'...