As children, watching Back to the Future II, every child of the eighties was absolutely convinced that by the time they reached adult hood, everyone would be driving flying cars and wearing tin foil. Alas that day has not yet come (incidentally BTTF II was set in 2015 so we still have a few years left to realise Robert Zemeckis’ vision of the future), but this latest patent reveals details of a new technology that is more exciting than ten hoverboards combined.
Flexible displays have been a topic of hushed discussion for a good long while now but a patent from Intel suggests that they may be just around the corner. The patent includes detailed info about how the technology will work. Hit the jump for the science bit.
‘…selecting a first flexible sheet and a second flexible sheet; and forming a number of magnetic display elements having magnetically controllable reflectivity between the first flexible sheet and the second flexible sheet. In some embodiments, a display includes pixels having a magnetically controllable reflectivity. The pixels are formed between a pair of flexible non-conductive sheets. Each of the magnetically controllable pixels includes a flexible ring located between the flexible non-conductive sheets. Each of the magnetically controllable pixels also includes magnetic particles located within the flexible ring. The location of the magnetic particles with respect to the flexible non-conductive sheets determines the reflectivity of the pixel.’
According to Intel, these displays would be a good fit for phones, GPS navigation systems and portable web browsers. To be honest we don’t care what the device does, as long as it’s portable so that we can get a hold of one and gaze at its ‘so advanced it’s indistinguishable from magic’ goodness.
(Via Unwired View)
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