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See-through display

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A see-through display is an electronic display that allows the user to see what is shown on the glass screen while still being able to see through it. It is a technology that has been around for a decade or two, but only as of 2012 was it being incorporated by companies such as Samsung, Planar Systems, and taptl into consumer products like handheld devices, televisions, and other technology as well as building materials such as glass.[1][2][3] These screens can be used for augmented reality, a way of enhancing your view of the world with digital images overlaid onto real ones, and other applications such as shopping displays and more sophisticated computer screens.[4][5]

MIT Researchers are working on creating Transparent Displays inexpensively using nano-particles.[6]

How it works

OLED

Transparent displays with OLEDs are the most commonly produced forms of see-through displays on the market or in development. OLED screens have two layers of glass on both sides of the OLED, which consist of an emissive and conductive layer. Electrical impulses travel through the conductive layer and produce light at the emissive layer. This is different from LCD's in that OLED's produce their own light, which allows the screens to be much thinner, while LCD's need to be backlit. The narrow gap between the pixels of the screen as well as the clear cathodes within allow the screens to be transparent. These types of screen have been notoriously difficult and expensive to produce in the past, but are now becoming more common as the method of manufacturing them is advancing.[7][2]

LCD display

Normally, LCD displays are incapable of being see-through because of their thickness and inability to emit their own light. However, some LCD screens, such as the Samsung Smart Window, use natural lighting like the sun instead of electrical backlighting. The lack of a backlight allows the screens to be much thinner as well as see-through. See-through LCD screens are a cheaper alternative to OLED's, however, their use is limited because of the natural light restriction.[2]

Applications

Augmented reality

See-through screens are an emerging market that have several potential uses. Cell phones, tablets and other devices are starting to use this technology. It has an appealing appearance but more importantly it is also effective for augmented reality applications. The device can add its own twist to what is behind the screen. For example, if you look through a tablet with a see-through display at a street, the device could overlay the name of the street onto the screen. It could be similar to Google street view, except in real time. There is an app available for smart phones that allows the user to point the camera at a sign or writing in another language and it automatically displays the same view, but with the writing in the language of your choosing. This could be possible with see-through displays as well, but without the need for the camera. A device using a transparent display has much higher resolution and displays much more realistic augmented reality than video augmented reality, which takes video and adds its own supplement to it and then displays that onto the screen.[4] It is much simpler to display the addition onto the see-through screen instead.

Retail

These displays are also used in shopping windows. The shopping windows show the product on the inside as well as show text or advertisements on the glass. For example, there could be a pair of shoes behind the window and at the same time the window has information scrolling across it like prices, special deals, or advertisement video clips.[5] This type of showcase is becoming more popular as see-through screens are becoming cheaper and more available .

Current technology utilizing see-through displays

Samsung

Samsung has designed and marketed several see-through display products, the most notable being the Samsung Smart Window. The Smart Window is a transparent LCD display meant to act as both a window and smart device capable of using apps and widgets, as well as connecting to the internet.[1]

Planar Systems

Planar also develops display cases similar to Samsung for stores. In addition, they develop transparent displays for use in vehicles as heads-up displays that can show speed and other information such as alerting the user to incoming dangers more quickly and efficiently.[5][8]

References

  1. ^ a b "With New See-Through Display, Samsung Puts the Window in Windows". core77. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Kiger, Patrick. "Can a TV be transparent?". How Stuff Works. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
  3. ^ "taptl // Interactive Transparent Displays |". www.tap.tl. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  4. ^ a b Kiyokawa, K.; Kurata, Y.; Ohno, H.; , "An optical see-through display for mutual occlusion of real and virtual environments," Augmented Reality, 2000. (ISAR 2000). Proceedings. IEEE and ACM International Symposium on , vol., no., pp.60-67, 2000. <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=880924&isnumber=19065>
  5. ^ a b c Kuo, Huei Pei et al. “SEE THROUGH DISPLAY.” 0157708 A1. June 30, 2011.
  6. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=967NYZ-YBJk
  7. ^ Freudenrich, Ph.D., Craig. "How OLEDs Work" 24 March 2005. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/oled.htm> 17 October 2012.
  8. ^ "Transparent EL Displays". Planar Systems. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
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