Eco Factor: MIT researchers develop displays that use less than one-hundredth the power of conventional TV screens.
Inspired by the masters of camouflage in the underwater world, cuttlefish, researchers at MIT are developing electronic ink displays and screens that use less than 0.01% the power of conventional TV screens. The researchers stated that cuttlefish change their appearance in a few seconds by secreting special chemicals to alter the spacing between their membranes. This low-energy technique seen in cuttlefish has been mimicked by the researchers to develop low-power displays.
These researchers have developed a prototype screen that is several inches across but only one micron thick. This narrow space is crammed with polystyrene layers that mimic the layers of a cuttlefish. When no current is applied the screen remains clear, but as the voltage increases, the poly-2 membrane expands while reflecting incident light. Since the poly layers expand according to the voltage applied, the display reflects different color at different voltages.
Since the display doesn’t create light but only reflects it, it works at a very low voltage. However, like every research, this one too has a catch – it only works in brightly lit areas and has a very limited viewing angle.
Via: Discovery
