Better Displays With New Nanowire Film

Roland Piquepaille writes "A Harvard University team has successfully applied a film of nanowires on glass and plastic. This might lead to better and flexible displays or wearable computers, says the American Chemical Society, in "Nanowire film brings cheaper, faster electronics a step closer." "By using a 'bottom-up' approach pioneered by our group, which involves assembly of pre-formed nanoscale building blocks into functional devices, we can apply a film of nanowires to glass or plastics long after growth, and do so at room temperature," says Charles M. Lieber, professor of chemistry at Harvard. The researchers think that the first applications will be improved smart cards or LCD displays. But they also have a vision for the next decade. "One could imagine, for instance, contact lenses with displays and miniature computers on them, so that you can experience a virtual tour of a new city as you walk around." This overview contains more details and references. It also includes a picture of a high-density crossbar nanostructure, whose geometry can serve as the basis for many applications, like bio-sensor arrays or high-density data storage."

Just one word

[heironymouscoward]

Hype.

Anything with 'nano' or 'cyber' in the name is hype. Yeah, we will see smaller cheaper electronics, but that's hardly news.

walk around

[termos]

One could imagine, for instance, contact lenses with displays and miniature computers on them, so that you can experience a virtual tour of a new city as you walk around.

Considering we are geeks, going to a new city doesn't involve walking around, more like visiting conventions and getting the latest cool funny-phrase-sysadmin-tshirts.
Take away the walking part mister, and you have yourself a deal.

Re:Contacts

[zyridium]

What I am scared of is when the nasty ones from slashdot start smacking goatse or tubgirl on your eyes. And if they were contacts even closing your eyes might not help...Shudders

Movies

[pvt_medic]

If this contact thingy works out, think about the fun you could have with it. The ultimate in interactive experience since you only see what it lets you. You could have a personal movie theater with incredible resolution at yours hands... i mean eyes.

What it would be a better use for ...

[Brutal_One]

Anytime stories like this pop-up, everyone always discusses how neat it would be to overlay information about a city and the like.

Forget contacts the zoom, forget contacts that shoot freakin' laser beams. How about contacts that make my vision 20/20? My corrected vision is 20/35 and my contacts can only be worn for 7-8 hours a day then I have to wear coke bottle glasses because there isn't anything better.

My brother-in-law has Retinitis-Pigmentosa [retinitis-pigmentosa.com] which is a degenerative disease of the retina. He was diagnosed 7 years ago and is down to 10% of his vision which is stricly peripheral. Imagine a spoon in front of your eye and you can only see off to the sides.

A better use of this technology would be contacts that can adjust his line of sight to the best position on his eye.

Or to assist the vision of the elderly who often times can be helped with glasses or contacts.

Instead of coming up with "new" "cool" ways to use this, why don't we use the technology to help the people that need it? The people that surround us everyday?