The Organic LED story

So far ... And then some

With Organic LED lighting and display turns flexible bright and paper-thin. Bendable OLED display and screen, lamp with ambient light, two page tome book written on e-paper, remotely refreshed dailies, printable screens are already possible -- some even available.

OLED is lightweight and thin - the two basic properties that tosses the lighting paradigm into whole new realms.

• lighted wallpaper
• foldable luminaires
• printed light and screen
• super thin monitor and tv display
• e-paper - the two page 'tome' book

OLED lamp

Here is just the kind of lamp design to show what the hype is all about. Light plates are paper thin - no awkward luminairs. This way they do not generate heat and take up power. The design spreads them evenly, so the light they generate is pleasant and ambient. The model is called Early Future and is by Ingo Maurer in partnership with Osram Opto Semiconductors.

It has been produced in limited edition.



For other clever lamps visit our LED lamp page >>

E-paper

Believe you or not…, some companies (Knight Ridder Newspapers in the United States, Epson in Japan) have been working on the e-paper (sometimes called digital paper) for over 20 years now.

Fujitsu in Japan had its sight on a film-like electronic paper. For such paper text and images are etched in memory until updated. Also, update and recharge is planned to be wireless.

This kind of bendable digital paper draws its power from the same radio signal that carries to it the data. It then stores and displays that data without a need for additional power. For newspaper use any new transmission would autmotacially remove or updates the information while also recharging the display.

We learned that in Melbourne Australia there was a trial run of the concept in some selected advertising dailies before commercial versions of the prototypes are released to the market.

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Flexible monitor

These first generation commercially sound thin display films are expected on your newspaper no earlier then sometimes 2007.


Ok, ok --- it is always fun to glimpse into the future. Companies heavily involved in organic leds tell us that this kind of lighting will be even cheaper to run and produce than currently available leds. And because oled displays will not require back lighting (a major source of battery drain in current displays) we will enjoy much longer hours of uninterrupted fun.


Not to mention the tons of fun we'll have with flexible displays. You can roll up your display screen as well as your touch screen keyboard and place it atop your backpack alongside your sleeping bag. (The question now is when not how?)

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Rollable display

Philips and Polymer Vision's Readius - a new line for OLED display in preparation.

The other main feature of any OLED display is the super wide viewing angle. Cathod ray, plasma and even LCD screens can not be viewed from the side. First you get distortion, then nothing intelligeble. Organic LED displays are amazingly clear even from the side.

Printable Wallpaper and Screen

The race is on: - General Electric scientists worked out a new roll-to-roll manufacturing process as a frist step towards printing large quantities of
flexible OLEDs on the same printing presses now use for industrial plastic coating.


Now let's get real crazy: get home after a real long vacation and inkjet print your very own organic led display that shows not just one print but a slide-show of unlimited number of photos you took on your real long vacation. (A kind of dedicated home made display.) You call me crazy? Hey it's easy, and I don't even take offence --- I have no brain whatsoever.

But don't rush into your corner shop just yet. Although this is a perfectly viable fun concept, no product is available as yet.

On the other hand (a good - what good..., great hand) and speaking of fun --- you can always go on a real long vacation, don't ya…?

Even then you just shouldn't go without your beloved LEDs.

Plasma TV caveat

The pitchest black black can only be achieved with plasma TV. OLEDs will not be as good in this department. But if you are not that discerning and can wait, then do yourself a favor and don't buy the latest plasma TV just yet. -- Soon enough OLED tvs will be cheap, bright and available.

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Related Articles, Resources

Modularity drive LED lamps in exciting directions

Keyboards get so much smarter with OLED and laser

A Compact Fluorescent Bulbs is a mini plasma TV seed? No kidding

Resources links open new window

The roll-to-roll manufacturing process to print bendable OLEDs

Trademarks Mentioned:
OLED (short for Organic LED) is a trademark of Eastman Kodak,
Readius is a trademark of Philips and Polymer Vision.

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