First Touch-Screen, Bendable E-Paper Developed

Al writes "The first touch-screen flexible e-paper has been developed by a team from Arizona State University and E-Ink (the company that makes the technology for Amazon's Kindle and Sony's Reader). Jann Kaminski and colleagues at ASU's Flexible Display Center say the main challenge is that most touch-screen technologies do not respond well to being flexed. So they used an inductive screen, which relies on a magnetized styluses to induce a field in a sensing layer at the back of the display. The first adopters for the technology are likely to be the US Army. Watch a video of the device being tested."

Comments

Sounds cool

[oodaloop]

But what purpose does it serve exactly, that isn't served by other devices? It sounds like yet another invention whose daughter is necessity.

Re:Sounds cool

[JCSoRocks]

How about the awesomeness of replacing that stupid projector screen and projector with one of these? No more expensive projector, no more being blinded while you're standing in front of it, no more casting a shadow on the screen, and best of all - you can interact directly with the screen. I'd say it's got tons of advantages in that area alone.

Re:Sounds cool

[myVarNamesAreTooLon]

I also am not sure exactly what this could be useful for, but they explain their reasoning in the first paragraph.

They say that the breakthrough could lead to more practical and easier-to-use portable devices.

Re:Sounds cool

[oodaloop]

C'mon, does it really need to be flexible AND touch-sensitive? We have non-projector wall-monitors (some rear-projected, some plasma screens) that we control with a mouse. Works pretty well. Not one person using it has said, "You know, this is just unacceptable. This has to be flexible and touch-sensitive in order for me to do my job."

Re:Sounds cool

[Lord Bitman]

you really think a wall-sized flexible touch-screen display is going to be less expensive than a projector, ever?

Re:Sounds cool

[Hotawa Hawk-eye]

A couple that come to mind:

The foreman in charge of a team constructing a building (say 3-4 stories) wants to check the blueprints to make sure of a detail. He unrolls his E-paper blueprint from his back pocket and navigates to the correct section, then zooms in. A PDA would limit the display area for the blueprint, while it would be kind of difficult to roll up the whole roll of paper blueprints and stick it in his pocket.

Similarly, an E-paper newspaper could be (potentially) folded to fit in a pocket and is reusable without requiring people to put it in a recycling bin.

Your local grocery or department store could have catalogs available at the entrance that show you where in the store the item you're looking at is located, and how many are left. You could pick one up when you enter and leave it when you're finished shopping. That I suppose a PDA could do, but if you're shopping with small children, having something that's easy to read (because of its size) and durable could be useful.

Re:Sounds cool

[A. B3ttik]

I love Slashdot.

Aricle: "Berkley finds cure for cancer."
Slashdot: "What the hell can they use that for?"

Are you telling me that you have such narrow, blinded, imagination-less vision that you can't see the use for something as thin and flexible as paper, but with the functionality of a touch-screen laptop? How about, I dunno, an e-Book that's as easy to transport and hold as a newspaper? Hell, with modern wireless technology, you could have your screen/input device sitting on the table with you at breakfast while the laptop "base" is over by the outlet. Carry the newspaper screen/input device around with you on the train and bus wirelessly connected to a PDA around your belt.

Think of the possibilities!

Re:Sounds cool

[John Hasler]

> ...an E-paper newspaper could be (potentially) folded to fit in a pocket...

But this thing can't be folded: only bent on what looks to be about a 10cm radius.

Re:Sounds cool

[John Hasler]

> Are you telling me that you have such narrow, blinded, imagination-less vision that you
> can't see the use for something as thin and flexible as paper, but with the
> functionality of a touch-screen laptop?

This isn't it.

Re:Sounds cool

[bill_kress]

My thoughts exactly, but you put it better than I could conceive. Wish I had mod points.

Re:Sounds cool

[JustinOpinion]

The applications people dream about are things like:
-Robustness. For field work a display that is inherently bendable is potentially less likely to break.
-Displays that are more compact/portable, since they can be folded up or rolled-up. E.g. a PDA with a small screen for quick work but a larger roll-out display for reading a book.
-Being able to read computer-text in a format roughly like a newspaper (thin, light, bendable, etc.). In principle not more useful that a rigid and flat e-book reader, but it is a format some people may prefer.
-Large format displays. E.g. instead of having a projector and unrolling a white screen, you just unroll a bendable display screen (with all the usual advantages of monitor technology: e.g. you can't block the beam, brighter display with better contrast, etc.). Or being able to unfold a screen (like a map) and put it on a table for impromptu collaboration (or display data in the field).
-Deformable displays for shifting surfaces. E.g. imagine a touchscreen that had a keyboard 'hidden' behind it. When required the keys press up (bending the display) so you can use it as a normal keyboard. With a switch the keys depress and lock, giving you a flat touchscreen.
-The ability to put touchscreens onto non-planar surfaces. Like having a screen that follows the contour of the dash in your car. Or having screens plastered onto columns in malls (for a mall directory, and advertising, probably...).
-The ability to put touchscreens anywhere: wallpapering a room, the inside surface of a tent, clothes (maybe just for novelty or maybe actually useful: e.g. a computer interface built into army uniforms), the surface of your desk, etc.

Those are just a few. If you can't think of any applications for a bendable touchscreen, you're not trying very hard!

Re:Sounds cool

[Dishevel]

It sure would help to be flexible. Much easier to transport a 100" display that rolls up than a 100" LCD screen.

Re:Sounds cool

[maxume]

I'm as anti-enthusiasm as anybody, but does it pose some problem for you if it is flexible and touch sensitive?

I suppose you might want access to one or the other at a lower price, but I doubt the availability of both in a single screen will have much impact on that.

Re:Sounds cool

[jebrew]

Of OLED's ever get it together, then eventually it may be financially advantageous to use a roll up touch screen. Maybe not cheaper, but it's got some nice advantages.

Re:Sounds cool

[jgtg32a]

It would be better if they had a comp sitting by the entrance where you could download a map of the store on to your own device.

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

you really think a wall-sized flexible touch-screen display is going to be less expensive than a projector, ever?

Yes. What that a trick question? Prices of printed electronics go down exponentially. Prices of optics and fancy light bulbs don't. I'm already seeing plenty of huge electronic billboards. Projection isn't going to last.

Re:Sounds cool

[Adriax]

Low power, lightweight, non-rigid writable computing devices, capable of being rolled into a tube around it's hard circuitry?

K-12 schools- a cheap computing device for students to use that's near identical to paper, could allow a teacher to monitor an entire class's writing from his/her desk, and wouldn't snap like a twig or make a backpack extremely bulky if placed in a student's backpack? oh yeah, no use whatsoever there

Think of it this way, what's more familiar for people to use for note taking, a spiral notebook like most people grew up with in school, or a thick, rigid tablet?

Re:Sounds cool

[mikael]

If they can extend it to the size of A4 and A1 sheets of paper, that could replace the need for printing glossy posters for poster presentations sessions at conferences and in office corridors. These are relatively costly to print, and become out of date (E-mail addresses tend to change).

Taking an A1 sized poster to a conference usually requires taking a rocket launcher sized tube through airports and train stations, along with the laptop containing a powerpoint presentation.

Imagine if all that was required was to take a USB memory stick and download an image to a generic E-ink display at the conference.

Re:Sounds cool

[Windows_NT]

if its wall mounted, why flexible? walls not straight? i say you dont need a flexible screen, but maybe a building inspector...

Re:Sounds cool

[sneilan]

Yeah. I don't think people could ever deal with those projectors. I mean, gosh, people are dying every day by those things.

Re:Sounds cool

[nacturation]

an E-paper newspaper could be (potentially) folded to fit in a pocket...

But this thing can't be folded: only bent on what looks to be about a 10cm radius.

Small moves, Ellie... small moves. Give it a few years or a decade and see how progress is then.

Re:Sounds cool

[oodaloop]

So how exactly would an iPhone-like device fail here, and why would the flexible display need to be touch sensitive? And this really just proves my point in any case. The invention came first, and now you're trying to figure out its uses afterward.

Re:Sounds cool

[camperdave]

How about the awesomeness of replacing that stupid projector screen and projector with one of these?

If you're worried about casting a shadow on the scree while interacting with the projection, might I suggest that you drive the projector with a data tablet and just sit comfortably off to the side. That will work a lot better than cramming 50+ people around a palm pilot sized display.

Re:Sounds cool

[nine-times]

I don't know, which part of it? Seems like there are 3 things going on here: (1) e-paper; (2) touchscreen; and (3) bendable.

Now the value of e-paper is that it uses less electricity than an LCD screen and is easier on the eyes (in many circumstances) for prolonged reading. The fact that it's touch-sensitive gives you another option in how you interact with it.

Now those two things aren't new. They're already being used in the Kindle, for example, with considerable success. The fact that it's bendable means that you might be able to come up with a design that was more ergonomic or perhaps even somewhat collapsable into a smaller size. Imagine a Kindle that you could roll up and stick in your pocket.

Re:Sounds cool

[moderatorrater]

A cell phone that you can bend any way you want, so you can put it in a wallet, fold it and put it on your pocket, roll it up, etc. Morning newspaper reader, the Kindle3, etc.

The bendable makes it so that it's more flexible in its use (get it? haha!) and the touch sensitive makes it so that it doesn't have to have other controls on it. I don't think this is the sort of thing where everyone says, "yes, this is what we've been waiting for!" but instead waits for development to catch up to it.

Re:Sounds cool

[oodaloop]

A flexible screen that gets rolled up a lot would probably not hang right. Glare, bumps, etc would probably become problems. And I prefer to brief on non-touch sensitive screens so I can point things out on the screen without accidentally advancing slides.

Re:Sounds cool

[ColdWetDog]

Yeah. I don't think people could ever deal with those projectors. I mean, gosh, people are dying every day by those things.

I wanted to kill, just slowly torture, the author of the last Powerpoint presentation I was forced to sit through. I truly contemplated taking the projector, picking it up and bashing his skull with it. I don't think I'm alone in this.

It just might be safer to have soft, roll up screens. Or just software that prohibits Powerpoint from displaying anything but black.

Re:Sounds cool

[Compholio]

+1 Excellent Contact reference.

Re:Sounds cool

[Chris Mattern]

does it really need to be flexible

Roll it up, stick it under my arm, and carry it to where I need it. Yeah, that sounds pretty handy.

AND touch-sensitive? We have non-projector wall-monitors (some rear-projected, some plasma screens) that we control with a mouse.

Control with a mouse. Not draw with a mouse. I've given whiteboard talks, sketching out what I'm talking about. And I'm here to tell you you CANNOT give a whiteboard talk by trying to sketch with a mouse.

Not one person using it has said, "You know, this is just unacceptable. This has to be flexible and touch-sensitive in order for me to do my job."

Not one person using standard accounting ledgers said, "You know, this is just unacceptable. This has to be able to do arithmetic on its own for me to do my job." Then they got to see computer spreadsheets.

Re:Sounds cool

[CmdrSammo]

I think e-paper like this has definite uses for researchers or anyone else who needs to read, and more importantly add notes to printed text. My desk at university, and to be honest half of my house, is covered in printed academic papers and other research material. Theoretically I could read all of these on my laptop or PC but it's just so much easier to read from paper, and a break from staring at a glaring computer screen. Also I tend to highlight lots of text and add a tone of scribbled notes on each sheet which I find is easier and faster than annotating on screen.

If I could have say 3 A4 sheets of this e-paper I would be able to just a single sheet of 'paper' in each of my working locations. This would mean access to limitless pages of research, on a screen that presumably will be very similar to reading it on paper, and the ability to highlight and add notes stored electronically. The fact it's flexible I hope means it will be pretty durable and I'll be able to carry it about with me, shove it in a bag, whatever.

But really whatever happens with this technology think of the amount of paper it will save, and so trees, and so the world...everyone's a winner, except paper companies.

Re:Sounds cool

[TWX]

Computer PDA screens with maps and other control devices that roll up into your screen.

E-book readers that fit in a pen.

The ability to apply a screen to any surface in any shape without having to pre-fab it into that shape.

Complete elimination of all of those imposed form factors that make devices take a certain size because the screen is fixed and rigid.

I got to tour the facility a year or so ago when they gave the MIT Club of Phoenix a tour. It was really cool. They had a pre-production model that was capable of showing a small image on about an inch by inch square ready to show off, and it was indeed flexible and could withstand being beaten on because of the lack of glass in it. Very cool stuff. I'm glad that they made progress.

Re:Sounds cool

[JCSoRocks]

Exactly. For trade shows we send out a 50" flat panel display. We had to order a custom case for the thing and I'm still always worried it's going to come back destroyed (like most trade show stuff). It'd be so much simpler to send a tube.

Re:Sounds cool

[JCSoRocks]

You can still, you know, hover your finger over the screen. You people that mash their fingers on the screen rather than hovering drive me crazy. :P For a while I had a note over my screen that informed anyone near it that touching it would result in dismemberment. I won't want to be looking through their finger grease while I'm working.

As a side note, yes, I realize this is a touch-screen but I'm thinking that for large-scale presentations and such where people are far away the fingerprints won't be noticeable.

Re:Sounds cool

[aliquis]

And I'm here to tell you you CANNOT give a whiteboard talk by trying to sketch with a mouse.

But you probably can with a pen tablet.

But obviously this has many usages, just that some people can't come up with them since it haven't been around and they haven't seen them yet.

But there are others which will come up with them so don't worry ...

Re:Sounds cool

[Chysn]

> Does that mean I should get hyped up over every advancement in everything because it might one day meet a niche demand for someone?

Don't worry, nobody's trying to hype you up. It's just that there's this thing here now in some state of development, and you can do whatever you want to with the information.

You could even get hyped up about it, if you wanted to.

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Speaking is different than writing. Regardless of your accent there is only one grammatically correct way to write something. Misusing words and spelling them improperly isn't cool - it just makes you look ignorant. (Yes, yes, yes, or foreign. Although I've found most people that are speaking English as a second language are more interested in doing it properly than native speakers.)

Re:Sounds cool

[A. B3ttik]

Does that mean I should get hyped up over every advancement in everything because it might one day meet a niche demand for someone?

No, but you don't have to troll every article asking "Whats the point!!" just because you can't see how this will be useful in a few years. A simple "Ah, cool! Glad they're making progress!" is appropriate, I think.

And as easy to damage/lose/get stolen?

Your $300 EEEpc isn't easy to steal or damage or lose? Hell, this thing's probably MORE robust. I doubt dropping it would hurt it at all. Try dropping your EEEPC off your desk and see what happens.

And my $300 EEE netbook couldn't possibly meet this demand? Keep your flexible e-book. Real books meet my requirements.

Three years ago I'm sure your laptop met your requiremenst and you wondered what the deal with these new "Netbooks" was. Ten years ago I bet your Desktop met all your requirements and you had no idea why people would need or want mobile e-mail. Fifteen years ago I'm sure your landline phone was perfectly fine at keeping you connected to everyone.

The world changes, and this technology, while not finished, will certainly become mainstream and offer convenience, robustness, and (heh) flexibility.

Re:Sounds cool

[geekoid]

Yep.

This technology looks like it will be easier to scale, cheaper to manufacture, and have fewer parts..Once it's ramped into a full manufacturing life scale. There is a lot of manual work that still goes into a high quality projector. Meanwhile these will alp be the same quality, flattening the marketing field.

DO you think a computer will be less expensive then hiring extra accountants, ever?

Re:Sounds cool

[geekoid]

You8r missinf the bigges and most important use:

Gaming!
Now I can have my table sized roll out, and just have the map display on it, with monsters as they come into sight!

SA well as be able to play every parker brothers game with just one board.

Think man, THINK!

Won't anybody think of the gamers?

Re:Sounds cool

[irae]

There's a good application though, a datapad on your arm. Not necessarily flexible, just bended so it fits nicely.

Re:Sounds cool

[GMFTatsujin]

Future generations judge technology by comparing the merits of what they're used to versus what came before. What's old though functional becomes hobbled and retrograde -- quaint, at best.

As this e-ink tech catches on, for whatever reasons we can imagine, our grandchildren will look at our solid technology and ask themselves, "Why *doesn't* this flex? Why *isn't* it touch-sensitive?"

Sort of the same way the current youth might express surprise at an all-green terminal screen. "What do you mean, it's only one color? How did you guys ever get anything done on this?" Geez, I feel that way now, and I grew up with the blinking green cursor.

In retrospect, our solid flat-screen LCD displays that are so impressive now will be anachronistic and primitive next to the bendable, touchy future.

Re:Sounds cool

[maxume]

Well, don't roll it up a lot.

As far as the touch screen, if you can't turn it off, I would say it is broken.

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Just point at them with your finger rather than the special induction stylus. Wooooo.... that was hard.

Re:Sounds cool

[grumbel]

True, but that isn't really that different from normal paper (i.e. posters get rolled and not folded and books and magazines have a pre-created fold in the middle). I think the flexibility is much more important for durability then it is for folding, since dropping a thing that can bent is pretty much a non-issue, while dropping a solid objects pretty much always kills it due to the much higher G-forces involved. And of course you could always add pre-created bends to an e-paper device as well if you need them.

Re:Sounds cool

[peragrin]

The Last power point presentation I saw, was at an awards banquet. Everyone was at least slightly drunk, but even with 4 glasses of rum and a full belly of food I could barely sit and watch power point.

Re:Sounds cool

[Rubedo]

-Robustness. For field work a display that is inherently bendable is potentially less likely to break.

This is useful not only for field work, but also for day to day work as well. My Iliad screen cracked just by putting it the pouch on the back of the seat in front of me on an airplane. I thought that the E-reader from Plastic Logic (http://www.plasticlogic.com/) was supposed to be flexible, though.

Re:Sounds cool

[Feanturi]

Wall-mounted, but in a roll-up arrangement like current projector screens. The advantage there being that you can roll it up and move it from room to room (or offsite to a trade show, etc) as needed. When rolled up, the casing would also provide protection while in transit. For day-to-day use in the same room, you might want to roll it up from time to time to expose something on the wall behind it, such as a whiteboard, or other type of bulletin board.

Re:Sounds cool

[Trahloc]

Erm... nope. Color and colour. Honor and Honour come quickly to mind. So yeah, accent matters, even when writing.

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you held a newspaper recently?
Do you know how hard it is to read ONE article, and then put it away? Think making origami out of linen instead of paper. It's that hard.

Re:Sounds cool

[DeadChobi]

I agree with you. There are these electronic touch-sensitive whiteboards called SmartBoards that can be drawn on with pens. Teachers can even draw basic shapes by tapping the button for the shape and drawing it on the screen. Educationally this is a huge leap forward from drawing on a tablet or controlling a presentation with a mouse, considering that the teacher can remain at the same place in the room as they were before they started using computers for presentations. Being able to stand in front of the whiteboard means being able to move around the room, and also means that one can again use body language to communicate during direct instruction.

Also, imagine how cool it would be for a teacher to be able to pass a sheet of plastic out to groups to reuse instead of butcher paper. Large E-ink displays would be a boon to education.

Re:Sounds cool

[Jason Levine]

I agree. We already have that $100 Wall Wart (not "Wal-Mart") computer. Imagine having a souped up version of that as the brains behind the "paper screen." It can be off in an out of the way location, using Ethernet Over Power to connect to the Internet. You'd pull out the "paper screen," browse your morning news sites, maybe a Twitter feed or two, some blog postings, Slashdot, etc. When you're done, it can fit into a tiny storage location (bookshelf, counter, etc) with no issues.

For a business use of this, I liked another poster's suggestion of replacing projector/screens with a wall-sized flex-screen. Another option would be to have a portable "paper screen" constantly reporting on different server statuses (perhaps with some interactive ways of managing servers). You could stick it with the other papers you carry to the meeting and glance at it now and them to make sure everything's running fine. All without the added bulk of a laptop.

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Mindless fool!

Yo can put together, say, one thousand of these in some kind of folder, and have real e-books!!!

Re:Sounds cool

[melvala]

I understand your pain.

Re:Sounds cool

[orielbean]

I want to be able to type my papers on the shirt I am wearing, and then show it to my boss just by walking into his office.

Re:Sounds cool

[Alt_Cognito]

Umn, LEDs have been going down in price just fine thank you. Have you seen the new nano-projectors that cost around $200-$300? How about cell phones projectors?

I think your main point stands, that projectors are pretty awful in general and will never approach the _quality_ of regular screens, but to say they are dead approach, probably not so much.

Re:Sounds cool

[twmcneil]

Why, I can make a hat or a brooch or a pterodactyl...

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

"bended"? C'mon, I know /. is the home of the "offline illiterate", but "bended"?

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

He said grammatically correct, not spellingly correct.

Re:Sounds cool

[slackoon]

not that I don't agree that there is a point to a flexible, paper-like, touch sensitive screen but they already have something that does what you describe. Look up smartboards, they're amazing and do all that you mention!

Re:Sounds cool

[badboy_tw2002]

A chalkboard could get the job done too, but then that would be inconvenient. This is just another convenience in a long history of conveniences going back to fire and the wheel. I'm sure great-great-great^1000-granddad Oodaloop (who's name was actually Oodaloop Sr. coincidentally enough) was standing next to Grog The 1st whining "why we need fire, meat alright cold, good enough"

Re:Sounds cool

[oodaloop]

And none of that refutes my contention that first came the invention, then came the need. I got modded to troll and had 16 people inadvertently explain how I was right while saying they disagreed.

Re:Sounds cool

[Dewin]

I know someone who does just that with a ceiling-mounted InFocus projector and a mirror to aim it down at a table.

Re:Sounds cool

[MaxwellEdison]

Excuse me while I patent the cellphone wallet...

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Does that mean I should get hyped up over every advancement in everything because it might one day meet a niche demand for someone?

That is the reason people read slashdot, to learn about upcoming technologies, this isn't a product, its a lab experiment that was successful and interesting.

Real books meet my requirements.

Why would you print ink onto hundreds of pages of paper when you have any other option? You Wouldn't.

For failing to understand your reading slashdot, and for being happy with the status quo...
You're an idiot.

Re:Sounds cool

[keefus_a]

And don't forget, France could make their flags out of it for the next time someone invades! Kidding, calm down. Goodbye karma, hello 'troll' mods.

Re:Sounds cool

[Tubal-Cain]

Projectors have this nasty habit of shining blindingly intense light in your eyes if you want to face your audience, and casts shadows. This has all the advantages of a SmartBoard and none of SmartBoard's greatest weaknesses.

Re:Sounds cool

[Tubal-Cain]

DO you think a computer will be less expensive then hiring extra accountants, ever?

But a computer cannot serve as a drop-in replacement for accountants (at least not effectively).

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Although I've found most people that are speaking English as a second language are more interested in doing it properly than native speakers.

Forget Yoda, we must not.

Re:Sounds cool

[oodaloop]

So you agree that first came the invention, then came the need. Do you realize you're arguing my point?

Re:Sounds cool

[The Grim Reefer2]

"bended"? C'mon, I know /. is the home of the "offline illiterate", but "bended"?

While "bended" is archaic, it's still grammatically correct.

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Thick rigid tablet. Eventually you get sick of the spiral notebooks disintegrating or getting their sprials crushed. You either move on to wireless notebooks (composition or the tear-out kind) or you just use pre-punched printer paper on a clipboard.

Or specialist paper for your field. But that's neither here nor there.

Re:Sounds cool

[ColdWetDog]

4 glasses of rum

Unfortunately, my employer frowns on pirates at work. Scares the customers.

Re:Sounds cool

[Red Flayer]

Your local grocery or department store could have catalogs available at the entrance that show you where in the store the item you're looking at is located, and how many are left. You could pick one up when you enter and leave it when you're finished shopping. That I suppose a PDA could do, but if you're shopping with small children, having something that's easy to read (because of its size) and durable could be useful.

Not for nothing, but no department store or grocery store would ever do such a thing. Their stores are designed to
(1) Maximize the amount of time you spend in the store -- the longer you're there, the more you spend
(2) Make you pass by impulse items on your way to whatever you really want to buy. If you have to go down a couple wrong aisles, great! You'll spend more.

There's a fine line between pissing customers off because they can't find what they're looking for, and maximizing sales by forcing them to spend more time in the store. Interestingly enough, causation has been demonstrated in this case... it's not just that people buying more spend longer in the store... it's also true that causing people to stay longer from inefficient layouts, etc, actually results in higher sales.

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the uses are obvious.

For example, you could be looking at some pornography, and when the time is right you lightly coat the surface of the screen with some KY and then roll it up in a tube and... well, I think you can take it from here, champ.

Re:Sounds cool

[multimed]

Kinda funny - at a former job, I developed interactive software - presentations, calculators, etc for sales reps at a financial services company. One anecdotal way we assessed how compelling our stuff was, was the fingerprint test. The best endorsement we could get would be when the reps would complain that they'd always have to clean their screen off.

Re:Sounds cool

[mikael]

Jakar heavy tube Teletube - extends to double length and available from any art store - Might make a good wi-fi signal booster if lined with aluminum foil on the inside.

Rocket launcher

Re:Sounds cool

[Hucko]

C'mon, does it really need to be flexible AND touch-sensitive? We have non-projector wall-monitors (some rear-projected, some plasma screens) that we control with a mouse. Works pretty well. Not one person using it has said, "You know, this is just unacceptable. This has to be flexible and touch-sensitive in order for me to do my job."

That seems to me to be arguing just the opposite. The first line is a question if we actually have a need for this.

Re:Sounds cool

[Hucko]

Bloke, go read your post. Or http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1147647&cid=27053677. You were douche bagging on a development. You now try to make it sound like you were observing a great phenomenon or something. This is not how you edit your /. comments!

Re:Sounds cool

[A. B3ttik]

I think, in context, that's one of the funniest things I've seen on the internet.

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

you're saying he should just get bent?

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you missed the GP's point.

Some may think that what they have now works just fine, but once they use this and realize how much it increases productivity they will realize that they just didn't know that they needed it until they had it.

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem with combining top-down projection and desktop motion detection is that the user's hand, head, and back cast shadows. The new, sexy part of this tech is the touchscreen functionality. ...And yes, I'd like to play Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 on a touchscreen tabletop or wallscroll.

Re:Sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, with the EM-induction sensor already built in, this could work out extremely well for someone like Games Workshop.

Closed-source game software in a big roll-up touch-screen, chips in the models to inform the software which models are where. Combine the best aspects of software and physical-model gaming. It would be very easy to introduce new players to the complexities of the system too.

Suddenly the models (their biggest profit generator) get "justifiably" more expensive because they're chipped, and they have a system for charging for non-physical content. All players have to subscribe to a service to keep their software up-to-date, while those same updates render older unit-models obsolete, necessitating further purchases. Modular items of terrain that also interact with the screen would be easy to construct with flexible e-paper...

Sorry, I'm not a GW-gamer, but I know several who are, and I can already feel the moisture in the air as they, and obviously the GW execs, start to salivate uncontrollably.

I know this is a very limited use of the technology, but I'm feeling prophetic right now...

Re:Sounds cool

[Doggabone]

So you agree that first came the invention, then came the need. Do you realize you're arguing my point?

The accountants might not have foreseen the need, but the developers who created the first spreadsheet software obviously did.

Re:Sounds cool

[Raenex]

You8r missinf the bigges and most important use:

You seem to be missing some letters on your keyboard.

Re:Sounds cool

[irae]

I am not a native speaker and I learnt English watching Robin of Sherwood, thou insensitive clod!

Failure on video!

[Lumpy]

notice how a row and column goes dead after the flexibility demonstration.

Still very neat demo of the first stage prototype.

Re:Failure on video!

[Anonymous Coward]

notice how a row and column goes dead after the flexibility demonstration.

Still very neat demo of the first stage prototype.

Both the row and the column were dead at the start of the video. There is still some sort of error there, but it may be unrelated to bending.

Re:Failure on video!

[Het Irv]

If you watch it again, that row and column were out for the entire video.

Re:Failure on video!

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you're wrong. That looks more like creases in the transparent coating, the pixels are still visible, and it's been there from the beginning.

Re:Failure on video!

[RMingin]

Actually not, that row and column are light from the get-go, rewind and rewatch. I'm also not sure, but that could be a reflection.

Re:Failure on video!

[Anonymous Coward]

Those were dead before the demo, if you look closer you can see it before it ever becomes bent.

How flexible?

[eclectro]

Will it blend?

I still don't get it

[Anonymous Coward]

Why does it need to be flexible? It's not like the rest of it is flexible, it's still tethered to a PCB, power supply, etc.

Maybe I am naive about this

Re:I still don't get it

[patm1987]

you could have a screen with a larger surface area of the device itself. Think of a scroll, two stiff wooden pieces with a flexible piece of paper in the middle. You could theoretically make a tiny device with the e-paper rolled into one end and your rigid components in another (or some similar setup).

Re:I still don't get it

[jack2000]

I'm having the idea of a scroll which you can unroll, it would act like an e-book reader/newspaper/phone whatever and with the touch screen part this sounds alot like the stuff they had in The Red planet(2000) movie!

Re:I still don't get it

[Anonymous Coward]

Consider an e-newspaper some time in the future. Flexible and interactive, with no rigid components.

Development has to start somewhere.

All Right

[GMonkeyLouie]

Bendable e-paper! I look forward to the day when the stack of textbooks and file folders I keep can be easily replaced by one or two screens and a million tiny hard drives I can lose.

Although, it would be nice if a subscription to a newspaper meant that they would give me their proprietary e-paper and update it once a day with the new issue, keeping all previous issues on file and searchable on the same piece of hardware.

Re:All Right

[myVarNamesAreTooLon]

And just think of how easy it would be for Big Brother to update the truth if there weren't all those pesky hard copies laying around!

Re:All Right

[Lumpy]

Actually many magazines are this way EXCEPT you have to manually get the pdf, download it and then put it on your device.

I wish I could get all my e-magazines I subscribe to as a RSS feed and by passing my login info automate the download to my reader. It seems that almost every magazine publisher wants to do it their way and make it difficult for the subscriber to get the latest issue automatically.

Re:All Right

[Anonymous Coward]

I think that'll be double+ good.

Re:All Right

[SnarfQuest]

That's so you can pull up an old issue to use in the bottom of your birdcage, right?

Re:All Right

[mblase]

Although, it would be nice if a subscription to a newspaper meant that they would give me their proprietary e-paper and update it once a day with the new issue, keeping all previous issues on file and searchable on the same piece of hardware.

They already do, if you consider an iPhone "e-paper" and their Web site a "subscription."

Re:All Right

[nizo]

I can't wait until I can change the wallpaper that is on my real walls without having to hang new wallpaper. Being able to dynamically display things (from, say the tv/computer) on the walls around the room would be spiffy too.

Re:All Right

[jonr]

At least they will be able to bend the truth...

+++++ NO CARRIER ++++++

Re:All Right

[jack2000]

Offline copies?

Re:All Right

[Aladrin]

Oh God. That's... Ow. Imagine MySpace, but in everyone's living room.

Seriously, man. Be careful what you wish for.

Some day, I'm going to say 'Oh man, you remember the Goatse wallpaper virus of 2024? What month that was.

Re:All Right

[geekoid]

Sounds great, but don't forget others will be able to do that as well.

That's doesn't scare you? take a walk around and look at some peoples wallpaper on there computer. Keep in mind that they could ahve just about anything there.

I'm sure you choice would be stylish~

Re:All Right

[Bob-taro]

I can't wait until I can change the wallpaper that is on my real walls without having to hang new wallpaper. Being able to dynamically display things (from, say the tv/computer) on the walls around the room would be spiffy too.

It's not so great. Read "carpet bugs"

Re:All Right

[Anonymous Coward]

calibre

It works with many readers (sony, kindle etc.) and you can schedule downloads of rss feeds, conversion into EPUB format and transfer to your device all automatically. It's cross platform too. It comes with some 'recipes' for many popular websites but you can add your own, allow for secure login etc.

I switched to it from the bundled software of my PRS-505 and never looked back.

Re:All Right

[Lumpy]

Works great for websites, it sucks for magazines in pdf form that require you to log in, click here, click here, wait, click here click here, oh there's the latest issue, click there... Then their Webdesigners have tp prove they are needed so they redesign the site weekly so my automated scrapers dont work.

Servo, nuts and volts both have a pdf edition but are a raging PITA to automate their download from the sites

Re:All Right

[Anonymous Coward]

Offline copies?

drm?

Easy!

[spacemky]

I'm not impressed. I can do this with my current LCD Screen. Watch thi*#&$&#*((*#

Re:Easy!

[Benzido]

You flexed your keyboard, not your screen! Watcg thia: I;m flezing my LCS screeen now...

Re:Easy!

[Anonymous Coward]

While you two are busy flexing your LCD screens and keyboards, I'm busy flexing what most other Slashdotters do at this time of night

Re:First Post

[Anonymous Coward]

I would prefer a bagel.

Magnetic stylus != touch screen

[EmbeddedJanitor]

There is a growing perception that touch means touch - using your finger. Using an inert stylus (like Windows Mobile devices) is a very poor second. But having to use a special purpose magnetic stylus is a FAIL.

Re:Magnetic stylus != touch screen

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd say it depends on the application. Doing anything that requires you to touch a precise point on a screen is a pain with fingers

Re:Magnetic stylus != touch screen

[Anonymous Coward]

A stylus is quite small, and can be positioned accurately. My finger is quite fat. Waving a finger around is OK for scrolling through lists and selecting large icons, but writing with your finger on something the size of a PDA is really sucky.

Re:Magnetic stylus != touch screen

[Hanyin]

There is a growing perception that touch means touch - using your finger. Using an inert stylus (like Windows Mobile devices) is a very poor second. But having to use a special purpose magnetic stylus is a FAIL.

I disagree. If I'm able to replace both my textbooks and take notes in this device with a stylus I'd stop having to bring both books and a notebook to campus everyday. It'd be even better if it had handwriting recognition and let me write equations all in the same file. In fact, once I get all those features at a reasonable price I think I'll invest in a new epaper gadget, though I may have to wait a while.

Re:Magnetic stylus != touch screen

[nine-times]

Not to be dismissive of your point (it's a good point), but I think it just depends on the application. If the purpose is navigation of an OS, then I might be much more interested in using my finger. If, on the other hand, the purpose is to allow me to write on something, then I'm more comfortable using something resembling a pen.

Re:Magnetic stylus != touch screen

[dunkelfalke]

using your finger is fine when you don't mind smeared, bad readable displays.

Re:Magnetic stylus != touch screen

[querist]

Agreed.

The iPod Touch is great for all sorts of things, but trying to use the handwriting recognition is a real pain. I normally write with a pen or pencil, so a stylus is a "natural" substitute - it feels very much like a pen or pencil, but works on the touch screen. I can do that with my Windows Mobile device, but not with my iPod Touch.

I know about the stylus at ThinkGeek. I don't have one yet, and the price is a bit too high in my opinion for a stylus.

Re:Magnetic stylus != touch screen

[Zerth]

Use the negative side of a AAA or AAAA battery with a bit of felt on it.

Re:Magnetic stylus != touch screen

[Anonymous Coward]

There is a growing perception that touch means touch - using your finger. Using an inert stylus (like Windows Mobile devices) is a very poor second. But having to use a special purpose magnetic stylus is a FAIL.

Yes, clearly the answer is to build a device that can sharpen your finger to a point _and_ magnetize it.

Re:Magnetic stylus != touch screen

[Cormacus]

From a person whose sig is Engineering is the art of compromise? Yeah, irony.

Besides, you can just get a magnet implanted in your finger!

sure the display is flexible, but the backlight?

[v1]

that display used a backlight that didn't look like it was flexible. It's that white tile below the screen visible when he picks it up to show its flexibility. It's taped down on that green grid below it. (not sure what that's for, if anything)

If that backlight is a CCT with spreader, it certainly won't be flexible.

I'd expect that if the backlight was flexible, it would have been attached to the back of the screen.

Flexible E-ink is not much good if you can't see it.

Re:sure the display is flexible, but the backlight

[Anonymous Coward]

e-ink displays have no back lights. That thing in the back was likely the magnetic sensor.

Kind of a silly question

[PuckSR]

E-ink is poised to be a very versatile display.

They now have a low-power, easily readable display that can be interactive and placed anywhere.
How about a "rolled" e-reader. Capable of taking up much less space than a standard book reader?

How about a foldaway display that can function on a number of devices?

Looking with a more futuristic bend, couldn't a flexible, interactive, low-power, non-backlit display be used to adapt common items to interactive displays?
The back of an airline seat? Now a menu with options!

If "flexible" displays are so useless, why are they a main goal of almost every display manufacturer?
And since when is adding "touchscreen" capabilities to a device a non-important function.

Not the first

[Teithron]

PlasticLogic (http://www.plasticlogic.com/product.html) is made of bendable eInk and has a touchscreen. I got to mess around with a prototype of this device at O'Reilly's TOC conference in February. When I asked why the device itself was not flexible, they said that in consumer testing, they found that people didn't like the flexibility because it made the device seem more fragile than it really is. The touchscreen was pretty cool--they use it to have an iPhone-like soft keyboard, which means you can have a much bigger display area, as you don't have to find somewhere to put all those keys, like on the Kindle.

hope Osama doesnt use Power Point

[Windows_NT]

guard 1: hmm, that must be a powerpoint presentation
guard 2: ITS A ROCKET LAUNCHER!! NOO!!!

irex?

[OglinTatas]

Will this new technology make the iRex Iliad more affordable?
http://www.irextechnologies.com/products/iliad
Currently this cool reader is basically eInk over a Wacom tablet, and costs >$7C
I still want one, though.

theres a train tunnel in my room!

[Windows_NT]

That makes me imagine playing wylie coyote tricks on my girl friend ... Where did the door go? its over here ... THWACK!

As soon...

[spydabyte]

As soon as it's cheap enough to publish millions of books on, wallpaper my walls, and stretch over every orifice of my body, let me know.

Re:As soon...

[rea1l1]

Yes, you better keep those orifices covered!

Color please

[nurmr]

Now we just need color too :-)

Re:Color please

[Teithron]

Saw Russ Wilcox, the CEO of E-Ink, at O'Reilly's TOC conference in February, and he was saying to expect color e-ink in December 2009 or early 2010.

Re:Color please

[mark-t]

Color epaper exists already... it has for years. It's just that at the moment, it's still priced well outside of the consumer electronics market.

Bad Ass...

[relguj9]

I, for one, think that this technology is bad ass.

I don't get it, some people act like they're jealous they didn't come up with it or something? lol

Re:Bad Ass...

[C_L_Lk]

No kidding - there are so many hundreds if not thousands of applications for this that I wish I'd had the technological know-how to make one of these.

Imagine if you will:
- Flexible advertising that would allow you to interact with it (e.g. the hood of a car in a showroom - you could explore all the specs and details)
- Portable point of sale - maybe you sell things at concerts or trade shows - unroll the screen, plug it into a micro-format computer with wifi/3G and have e-commerce available on a 50 inch screen.
- So many other cool things that I could just go on listing all day - but I've made my point.

Anyone dismissing this technology is either jealous or clueless.

Return of the scroll

[miletus]

In the ancient world, books were scrolls, which avoided the complexity and expense of bookbinding. With flexible e-paper, I suspect the scroll will return to its rightful place as the preferred format for printed matter, since you'll only need one large scroll to display anything every printed.

Re:Return of the scroll

[aphyr]

Scrolls are fragile, hard to store, and a pain to read. They roll off the table, they don't lie flat, and are a pain to flip to the other side of. The codex was a big improvement, by all accounts.

Not all of these drawbacks apply to e-ink displays, though.

Re:Return of the scroll

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, it wasn't because they were expensive. Nobody just had thought of binding pages together. Codex, the type of modern book we have today was invented by Romans.

Books are easier and cheaper to transport and they last a lot better, so actually they were quite a bit cheaper.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex

I've tried something similar...

[dfisheratt]

Only mine had one other cool feature...You could lift the plastic cover to erase. Here's a link to a pic... http://www.schylling.com/Creative-Play/MGSL-2.jpg

Re:I've tried something similar...

[relguj9]

lol, I'd mod funny.

Your definition of touch-screen would be annoying

[Kabuthunk]

So if they made a little finger-glove that just goes over the tip of your finger that's magnetic, or even if they eventually develop something that's basically a magnetic version of a false fingernail, would you not consider THAT touch screen? For your definition, does it HAVE to require actual skin-to-screen contact?

For my money, I'd rather NOT directly touch and smear up a screen. You'll have a sharper, more accurate touching point using anything other than the rounded, soft surface of a fingertip as well.

And finally, if something can sense a finger touching it, odds are it'll be set off by just about anything touching it. If they can make it so that it's ONLY activated by the previously mentioned fingertip cover, I'd consider that WAY better.

Reality vs possibilities

[Anonymous Coward]

Possibility: We could make a huge screen and mount it on the wall like a TV.
Reality: Ads. Content piped to each device will be so full of ads that the content itself will still be the size of a 17" screen.

P:Now we can make tiny phones lighter and cheaper.
R: Form factor. Phones with screens need to be large enough so you can A) push the buttons and B) read the screen Extra space behind keyboard and screen will be used to cram in memory and processing resulting in a heavier, hotter device.

P:Its flexible so no one can destroy it.
R: Profit. Since it is nearly indestructible the life of the product would be nearly infinite so the price of the product would be as high as you could imagine. Lowering the cost of the product would probably result in not only tiered pricing but in tiered quality as well. At some point you begin crossing over into the area where it makes more sense just to use paper.

A better invention for the Army

[Chicken_Kickers]

I have a better invention for the Army. This device is very cheap, uses off-the-shelf and proven technology, can be folded many-many times into almost any shape you want, has a very user-friendly user interface and changes-tracking system, has excellent backwards and future compatibility, is an excellent storage medium that can last for centuries, has very high resolution, can come in waterproof versions, needs absolutely no electricity and is easy to destroy to avoid capture by the enemy. It is called "Paper". Even better, the patent for this device ran out hundreds of years ago. Snarky comments aside, I'm not saying that this e-paper will not be useful, just that for many situations, there is nothing better than plain old paper.

Re:A better invention for the Army

[lgw]

All battles happen at the junction of four map segments, at night, in the rain. This solves the first problem. Hopefully it's illuminated and waterproof.

Re:A better invention for the Army

[MaxwellEdison]

Yeah paper's great...until the information changes. As the article points out, the Army is looking for a more rugged, easily portable display. When I was a Field Artillery Surveyor, we used a Forward Entry Device, or FEDs. The thing was about as portable as an Oxford New English Dictionary and came with its own carrying case (another thing to strap over your shoulder and lug around, along with your body armor, protective mask, and rifle, and pack in 120 degree heat). To be able to put all of this into little more than an armband like a quarterback's play sheet? Yeah, screw paper.

stylus pl.?

[blackfrancis75]

I know I'm not the only nerd infuriated by Styluses. Styli anyone?

Re:stylus pl.?

[MaxwellEdison]

Considering both are correct, you might not be alone...but you're still probably lonely.

Re:stylus pl.?

[blackfrancis75]

Oh, I realize[sic] it's accepted as correct... Merriam-webster are also among those who accept Aluminum[sic] as correct. But you're right, I am lonely. Mom's basement doesn't see many visitors this time of year.

A new appliction

[Stratocastr]

1. A new application for this would be advertising.. + Many creative advertising adventures can be accomplished by a flexible display. This is a good thing because that's where all the money is. Everyone advertises and pays money for it.(EVERYONE) + Great reduction in weight of the hardware. (Watch football on a 20" screen in your car. (Side effects may include death) - prolly too expensive right now - will see it overused on cnn soon

Vapor since years

[Anonymous Coward]

Really, this has 'just been developed' for years, I have seen many demonstrations and the technology seems to be there, yet no market-ready products. Anything changed with this?

Re:Your definition of touch-screen would be annoyi

[Anonymous Coward]

Magnetic nail polish would be cool.

Football Wrist Guard

[Weeksauce]

I could see this type of technology being really useful in QB wrist guards that list the various plays. All a coach would need to do is send a wifi signal to the QB's wrist gaurd and the play would automatically be called up. In a similar fashion, it makes sense why the Army would be the first adopters.

Re:sure the display is flexible, but the backlight

[Whillowhim]

Correct. Not having a back light is actually a good thing for military uses. I work a few offices down from some of the guys on this project and talk to them occasionally. At one point, one of them suggested adding a back light to it for night operations to an army guy, and he was firmly against it to avoid any light that might give the position away to an enemy. When asked how the user would use it at night, the response was something along the lines of "That's why I carry night vision goggles around."

Re:sure the display is flexible, but the backlight

[swillden]

When asked how the user would use it at night, the response was something along the lines of "That's why I carry night vision goggles around."

Absolutely. And even if there isn't enough ambient light to make the NVGs work, you STILL don't want a typical backlight.

In that case what you do is throw a poncho over your head, put your NVGs on and use IR light. The poncho is obviously a precaution against enemies with NVGs seeing your IR light, but you use IR light both because it doesn't reflect as much and because *only* enemies with NVGs can see it. If for some reason you don't have an IR light (maybe you don't have NVGs with their built-in IR light and are making do with the starlight scope from your rifle), then you use a flashlight with a red filter on it, which reduces reflected glow.

Smart soldiers are very much "belt and suspenders" types. They take every edge they can get.

But...

[Anonymous Coward]

...does it erase if you shake it?

Now how about some research...

[Eric Smith]

... into making the displays black-on-white, instead of black-on-gray?

To me that's a much more serious limitation of the current displays than the inability to bend them.

What happens if...

[Bones3D_mac]

... the display touches itself?

Re:Your definition of touch-screen would be annoyi

[Anonymous Coward]

capacitive touch?

Most glaring issue of epaper needs fixing

[DrXym]

The hideously slow refresh rate and the dreaded screen "reset" need to be fixed before epaper screens will be viable for anything but static content. It's nice to have some kind of interactivity and perhaps a touch screen could have limited uses such as simple note taking, or soft buttons. But as the video demonstrates, it would be intolerable for much more until epaper fixes its underlying issue.

10 years

[Xybot]

I hear they're designing a new Fusion reactor using e-paper. Apparently this should be finished in about 10 years!!!

No it hasn't

[Anonymous Coward]

"The first touch-screen flexible e-paper has been developed "

Nope. If it's e-paper, there's no screen. Quite literally. Really.

I'd call it touch-responsive e-paper.

I bet blacks didn't invent this...

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't tell me - this wasn't invented by blacks. What a coincidence.
While America turns into a third world country, the white idiots will still be telling themselves "We are all the same. Diversity is our strength", and then suddenly, and I mean suddenly, your world will collapse around you, as soon as the number of non-white, third world parasites reaches a critical mass. You will then be living in a failed state, and your Jewish masters will STILL be forcing you to pretend that black is white, up is white, and that blacks are actually making your lives better. You all know they aren't. Your house buying choices prove that.

Re:Your definition of touch-screen would be annoyi

[EmbeddedJanitor]

You're trying to weasel my words.

The primary sucky point with a stylus is that they are easy to lose. You can generally find an easy back up for a passive stylus by using a retracted ball point pen or the back of a pencil or such. A magnetic stylus is a specialized item.