Future product concepts

Rollable displays - using narrow wavelength (laser) illumination allows the Wedge® display to be very thin, which could ultimately allow it to be rolled up. The use of a graded index film would prevent the interface from being scratched.

Multiple image displays - two or more projectors can be pointed into the Wedge® panel and the images channelled to different parts of the room or eye by using polarised light and polarising spectacles. Also by using two directionally selective Wedge® screens back to back, in conjunction with two projectors, the panel could be made to show a different image on one side to the other. This would be useful in, for example, a point-of-sale advertising screen hanging from the ceiling of a supermarket.

Sensing displays - Wedge® optics could be used in the reverse direction in conjunction with a sensor array (such as the CCD arrays used in digital cameras), for example to recognise fingers touching the display or even to recognise gestures. In order to project an image in the forward direction at the same time without the projection source blinding the sensor, laser illumination could be employed in combination with filters which prevent the laser wavelengths from reaching the sensor.

Videoconferencing - using the simultaneous projecting and sensing set-up just described the Wedge® panel could perform as both screen and camera in a video conferencing application. This would allow true eye-to-eye contact, a feature which impossible to achieve with a separate camera.

Window displays - using a rollable diffuser film as a window blind would allow the Wedge® display to appear like a window when not in use. This could be used in boardroom applications. Another way to do this would be to combine the Wedge® panel with either a switchable liquid crystal diffuser, or a holographic diffuser and a switchably opaque background.

Miniature applications - There are several applications for small Wedge® displays, for example credit card sized projectors and virtual reality spectacles.