"Oh no! I just woke up, and I have class in five minutes!" The University campus is miles away, but I'm not worried. I brush my teeth and throw on a sweatshirt.
Then, I open the door to my newly installed media room. The walls are all covered with this thin, almost translucent layer of film, like a cheap plastic picture frame. Even the ceiling is covered. I throw my books on the table and the in-table computer screen lights up.
I press the table button that says "Quantum Mechanics" and the room instantly shimmers. The walls and ceiling are now a virtual display of my university classroom. I look left, right, forward and back and see all my classmates.
I wave to my lab partner who then waves back to me as class starts. This may seem farfetched to some of you. But it will be the way of the future.
The key technologies being used are organic light emitting devices, or OLEDs, and flexible displays. These technologies are being developed by many governments, even here at ASU. How will display technology change when these materials become available to the general public?
The flat-panel displays of today had the same challenges at one time. They weren't bright enough, small enough or cheap enough to economically manufacture. As the display, video, Internet and broadcast industries all begin to move to a high-definition standard, these devices will be forced to become more and more economical.
It's possible that your PDA or even your cell phone may already use some of this technology, or even your clothing! How would you like to have your favorite accessories be compatible with all your outfits?
With this technology, something as simple as reusable video cards for special occasions could be made. The company Inventables is developing a show that would bring new meaning to the "dress sneaker," with shoes that change color and pattern with the push of a button.
A type of screen known as a cholesteric LCD needs no backlight and can hold an image for years without power. They only require power when initially "writing" to the screen. You have probably been to a store or restaurant that uses these slow-refresh LCDs.
Researchers are now trying to make the screen materials more color capable and flexible enough to be sewn onto clothes. How would this affect the fashion world? How would you like it to affect you?
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this past January, I had the pleasure of drooling over several High-Definition OLED displays that were set up in the Sony area.
They had prototype 13-inch and 26-inch displays there. I was at the booth for nearly an hour taking pictures and video, and shaking my head in disbelief while viewing these displays from high, low and extreme side angles. And the side profile of all of these displays was thinner than any flat-panel television, display or laptop that I have seen - less than half an inch.
OLEDs can provide definite and desirable advantages over today's liquid crystal and plasma displays.
They're high contrast, can be manufactured to contain vibrant colors, display full-motion video, have very wide viewing angles from all directions and have a thin and lightweight form factor that is cost-effective to manufacture.
The OLED is basically a sandwich of glass or thin films which contain thin-film conductive electrodes and a series of thin organic films stacked in the middle.
The choice of organic material and how the stack is designed determine the display's emitted color, operating lifetime, power efficiency and pixel size.
A few years ago, I almost purchased a plasma television, then LCDs became the top technology again.
For now, I think I'll keep my money in the bank and hopefully earn some interest to help pay for my 100-inch high-definition OLED television.
Until then, I'll just try to get up in time for class and enjoy closing my eyes in my office and imagining the wonderful flexible displays of our future.
Reach the reporter at: thomas.s.moore@asu.edu.
