Screenless Display: A glimpse into the future

One of the more frustrating aspects of modern communications technology is that, as devices have miniaturized, they have become more difficult to interact with – no one would type out a novel on a smartphone, for example. The lack of space on screen-based displays provides a clear opportunity for screenless displays to fill the gap. Full-sized keyboards can already be projected onto a surface for users to interact with, without concern over whether it will fit into their pocket. Perhaps evoking memories of the early Star Wars films, holographic images can now be generated in three dimensions; in 2013, MIT’s Media Lab reported a prototype inexpensive holographic colour video display with the resolution of a standard TV.

Photo source: davidberkowitz (Flickr) Russian-made Displair screenless 3D multi-touch display being demonstrated at the
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2013, Las Vegas

Reto Meier predicts that 10 years from now we will be able to get transparent LCD patches that will adhere to our eyeglasses and 20 years from now we’ll have contact lenses that project images directly onto our retinas and that we will be able to interface with computers through mind control. The most profound effect will come from the development of the synaptic interface technology. This technology will allow people who are visually impaired to see just as the hearing impaired are able to hear through cochlear implants.

Screenless display may also be achieved by projecting images directly onto a person’s retina, not only avoiding the need for weighty hardware, but also promising to safeguard privacy by allowing people to interact with computers without others sharing the same view. By January 2014, one start-up company had already raised a substantial sum via Kickstarter with the aim of commercializing a personal gaming and cinema device using retinal display. In the longer term, technology may allow synaptic interfaces that bypass the eye altogether, transmitting “visual” information directly to the brain.

This field saw rapid progress in 2013 and appears set for imminent breakthroughs of scalable deployment of screenless display. Various companies have made significant breakthroughs in the field, including virtual reality headsets, bionic contact lenses, the development of mobile phones for the elderly and partially blind people, and hologram-like videos without the need for moving parts or glasses.

The first screen-less display that needs mentioning is Google Glass. Google Glass sits on the face like a pair of glasses, and on one eye it has a block of glass that allows you to see augmented reality. Images can be displayed right in front of your eye, as well as text and information about objects and places that are in front of you. This technology is only in its early stages, but definitely shows that screen-less displays will become a natural form of media consumption in the future.

The Oculus Rift is another such tech that is already available to purchase. This is a headset that completely blocks out the real world, and instead replaces what you see with a pre-programmed image. This is the ultimate virtual reality machine that displays video and appropriate sounds, and uses its accelerometer to ensure that it feels totally real. If you move your head left, you will see the image that is to the left in the virtual reality scenario. This kind of technology has a plethora of uses, and today it is constantly being updated and improved to provide you with the very best in screenless display technology in the near future.



Article by Rishibha Tuteja
Last minute Blogger, fangirl by profession. A Bibliophile by heart, Tech–Enthusiast by choice.
She breathes dreams like air and can be reached at https://twitter.com/BibliophileRish