E-paper unplugged is key draw at Japan show
November 1, 2011 by Nancy Owano 
(PhysOrg.com) -- Yet another flexible e-paper display? No. Something special. This concept e-reader has no ho-hum signs of boring repetition. The concept e-reader was shown at last month’s FPD International in Japan, the big event focused on flat panel displays, which took place from October 26 to October 28. In fact, it was a top attraction. The new device from Taiwan-based AU Optronics (AUO) does not need an external power supply.
It is what it is, or rather, what AU Optonics calls it, the Unplugged Flexible E-paper Display.
This six-inch-reader is made up of Rollable Organic TFT (thin film transistor) E-paper with a flexible photovoltaic battery attached to the e-paper. The-reader has 800 by 600-pixel resolution.
That combination of e-paper with PV battery was the attraction, and some say it could signify the future in e-readers. Talk about a marketer’s dream—if and when the device hits the stores as an e-reader, the device can sell on its flexible paper and efficiency parts that will not damage easily. Users can drop them in their briefcase or pouches without having to worry. The company says another plus is that the reader’s optimized charging circuit design delivers power savings.
The PV battery measures 132 x 212 x 0.3mm and weighs 10g. Solar light generates 1W or more of electricity. A strong light from a lamp is directed at the PV battery. A rechargeable battery is placed under the stand. While the device is self-powered when used in sunlight, the photovoltaics cannot draw enough energy out of indoor lighting.
That is why there is an external rechargeable battery, so that the user can run the device indoors.
AUO has all along been at the forefront in Taiwan in e-paper developments. In 2009, AUO unveiled an e-book reader that carried features which at the time were noteworthy: a low-power electronic paper and a touch panel.
The prototype was also six inches and also housed 800x600 pixels like the new display at the FPD show. The company makes and markets thin film transistor-liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCDs) and plasma display panels (PDPs). AUO sells its products in domestic markets and also exports worldwide.
AUO at this year’s show carried a list of the company’s key achievements in display technologies. These include its 65" Extreme-PR 3D Gesture display panel, 46" Scanning Retarder 3D display panel, 65" Transparent display panel, 46" Super Narrow Bezel panel, 6" Flexible displays, its smartphone display panels with high resolution and low energy consumption, and an AMOLED line of display technologies and applications.
More information: Press release
© 2011 PhysOrg.com
-
From lemons to lemonade: Reaction uses carbon dioxide to make carbon-based semiconductor,
32 comments
-
Thioridazine kills cancer stem cells in human while avoiding toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments,
3 comments
-
SpaceX private rocket blasts off for space station (Update),
42 comments
-
Climate scientists say they have solved riddle of rising sea,
31 comments
-
SpaceX capsule has 'new car' smell, astronauts say (Update),
4 comments
-
Need a rigid insulation material???
17 hours ago
-
magnets or EMF in car bumpers to protect from fender bender
May 26, 2012
-
length of wire in a coil of known dimensions?
May 25, 2012
-
India Engineering Powerhouse
May 25, 2012
-
electromagnet core dereference between hard and soft iron
May 25, 2012
-
Measuring water pressure in an open tank
May 24, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - General Engineering
More news stories
Nvidia trumpets Tegra 3 phone design wins for 2012
(Phys.org) -- Nvidia’s competitive war paint has a name, Tegra 3. On the heels of Nvidia announcements about lowering costs of its Tegra 3 processors and Nvidia-enabled tablets running Android Ice Cream ...
9 hours ago |
5 / 5 (2) |
1
|
Dell tablet leak: 10.1-inch display, two-battery choice
(Phys.org) -- Headline after headline talks about vendors’ tablets in the wings as likely number-one contenders for the iPad. Such claims have justifiably been taken with a grain of salt, considering ...
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
20 hours ago |
5 / 5 (3) |
9
|
Nvidia says Kai platform will turn price tide for tablets
(Phys.org) -- In March, Nvidia gave some signs that they were working to lower the cost of their Tegra 3 processors and they suggested consumers might see prices for Android tablets as low as $199. Connect ...
May 24, 2012 |
4.3 / 5 (4) |
3
|
OmniVision tops up sensors for cameras, phones
(Phys.org) -- OmniVision has announced two high-resolution image sensors for the digital still and digital video camera market (DS/DVC) and higher end smartphones. In end-user language, it is a claim for superior ...
May 25, 2012 |
5 / 5 (6) |
3
|
MIT researchers devise new means to synchronize a group of robots (w/ Video)
(Phys.org) -- For several years, roboticists have been working out ways to get a group of robots to perform synchronized activities as demonstrated most often in dance routines. It’s not just about trying ...
May 25, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
1
|
Land and sea species differ in climate change response: study
(Phys.org) -- Marine and terrestrial species will likely differ in their responses to climate warming, new research by Simon Fraser University and Australia’s University of Tasmania has found.
Almost half of new vets seek disability
(AP) -- America's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen.
'Unzipped' carbon nanotubes could help energize fuel cells, batteries
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes riddled with defects and impurities on the outside could replace some of the expensive platinum catalysts used in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, according to scientists at ...
T cells 'hunt' parasites like animal predators seek prey, study shows
By pairing an intimate knowledge of immune-system function with a deep understanding of statistical physics, a cross-disciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania has arrived at a surprising finding: T cells use a movement ...
Computer model used to pinpoint prime materials for efficient carbon capture
When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it's a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking.
Change in developmental timing was crucial in the evolutionary shift from dinosaurs to birds: study
At first glance, it's hard to see how a common house sparrow and a Tyrannosaurus Rex might have anything in common. After all, one is a bird that weighs less than an ounce, and the other is a dinosaur that ...
Nov 01, 2011
Rank: 4 / 5 (1)
1) college kids were accidentally throwing away those super light mac book air because it was in a folder and they did not realize it -- this thing will be hitting a trashcan near you soon.
Nov 01, 2011
Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
Nov 01, 2011
Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
Nov 04, 2011
Rank: 1 / 5 (1)