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Displays Technology

Transparent Screens on the Horizon? 226

Posted by CmdrTaco from the i-lost-my-monitor dept.
mhesseltine writes "According to United Press, researchers in Japan are developing transparent transistors. This could bring about see-through screens like those in Minority Report. Also, I imagine would be better heads-up displays (HUDs) for vehicles, layered flat panel displays, and new methods of interfacing with information screens."
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Transparent Screens on the Horizon? More

Transparent Screens on the Horizon?

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  • Imagine the possibilities... (Score:5, Funny)

    by craenor ( 623901 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:39PM (#6018937) Homepage
    I can surf pr0n while driving!

    Cause just talking on my cellphone, drinking coffee and eating a donut weren't distracting enough...

    • Re:Imagine the possibilities... (Score:5, Funny)

      by DarkBlackFox ( 643814 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:41PM (#6018963)
      Porn while driving eh? You sure the guy in front of you won't catch a glimpse in his rear view mirror and cause a hazardous traffic condition ;)

      Could lead to a big mess on multiple fronts.
    • Cause just talking on my cellphone, drinking coffee and eating a donut weren't distracting enough...

      As well as smoke and screw around with their stereo system.

    • Re:Imagine the possibilities... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by stratjakt ( 596332 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:55PM (#6019073) Journal
      Actually, HUDs are about the most practical use I can think for these things.

      Not surfing pron, but having your speedometer, tach, oil pressure blah blah in front of you so you dont have to look away from the road to make sure you didnt speed past that cop.
      • This may not be that useful for a HUD display. Although the display is inside the vehicle, it's projected so the focus distance is many feet in front of the windshield. Otherwise you'd see a double image of the HUD when your eyes are focused down the road.
      • It works EXTREMELY well in the current Corvette. I rarely look at the dash anymore. It DOES make it hard to truthfully answer the Sheriff that you didn't know how fast you were going.

      • but having your speedometer, tach, oil pressure blah blah in front of you so you dont have to look away from the road

        Pontiac has put limited HUDs in certain model cars for many years. It was first introduced in the Bonneville SSEi models, in the early 90's as I recall. I had one a few years back in a Grand Prix GTP. They only show speed and turn signals but they're fantastic. I drove the Grand Prix frequently for about a year and it's actually difficult to get used to looking down at a speedometer again.

      • Not much good I'm afraid, since a HUD is only useful if the instruments are projected into the space in front of you to minimise having to change focus to read them. Luxury cars and jets use a series of mirrors and optics to achieve that effect and the projector will be somewhere inside the dash. The effect of all this is that the image appears to be a few metres in front so you can have your eyes on the road and still see the speed with little focus changing required.

        Obviously you couldn't do that with a

    • Hmm, I suppose that explains why I saw some guy dip his cell phone in his coffee. Maybe he had his donut to his ear as well...
    • I can surf pr0n while driving!

      Better still, you could put one on each window and augment reality to keep the drive more interesting. For example, the other day, I found a link to a bicycle with a mechanical dildo protruding through the seat. (See $$$$$exyGal's journel here on slashdot) Imagine a few of those girls stopped at red lights next to you!
    • "Dad, don't be embarrased in front of the neighbours. It's just your Slutmobile.".
    • Wow, so now I can put a pr0n magazine behind my monitor while I surf pr0n? Cool, my desktop wallpaper now takes 0% CPU, but it does occasionally move if the fan gets pointed the right way.

  • I can see right through that story (Score:3, Funny)

    by dmachine ( 519368 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:39PM (#6018940)
    Another useful application would be the cool reverse camera shot of zion bay door operators =D

  • Transparent screens... (Score:5, Funny)

    by milkmandan9 ( 190569 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:39PM (#6018942)
    ...on the horizon? I'll definitely need to invest in some binoculars.

    I've got enough trouble seeing the opaque monitor on my desk.

  • Damned CRTs (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:39PM (#6018943)
    Finally I will be able to get rid of that CRT taped to my windshield.
  • The displays in Minority Report were all projector-based. I think.

  • Eh? (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:41PM (#6018958)
    Transparent screens are nothing new. Liquid crystal displays are transparent. As for glowing transparent screens-- well that's something entirely different.
  • I can't wait to see who it is that I'll be killing in the near future..

    But seriously.. besides the HUD mentioned in the article, I have a hard time picturing actual uses for this.. maybe a little improvement to Disneland's Star Tours ride?

    Call me silly, but it's hard for me to picture using something that's transparent which I will most likely see right through in the process of falling asleep while at my desk..

    ---
    Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be d
    • One big use would be for displaying speed/rpm/etc on your windshield instead of the dash so you don't have to look down while your driving.

    • Re:Can't Wait!!! (Score:3, Interesting)

      by (54)T-Dub ( 642521 ) *
      Well the military uses are profound. HUD's (Heads Up Display) are still fairly primitive and this will allow for very advanced ones.

      For personal use, having your windshield as a display hooked up to infrared camera's would increase nightime driving safety. (i think cadillac already has a primitive system)

      Also, the article state's that the technology can make LCD's a lot brighter.

      This would also allow a user to have multiple screens overlapping one another, kind of like transparencies but much more powerf
      • This would also allow a user to have multiple screens overlapping one another, kind of like transparencies but much more powerfull.

        Now that sounds like good use to me.. of course, this comes from someone sitting in his cube with two 21" monitors in front of him, and two laptops on the side to monitor the WLAN..

        I was missing the concept of having an actual stop at the back, or a black background. I thought I would be able to see the dusty corner of my cube... :)

        ---
        Never commit yourself! Let someo
  • Yeah, wouldn't this be an awesome addition to the process... you could be there and not look as suspicious, now we just need transparent cameras.....

  • HUD displays (Score:5, Informative)

    by gtrotsky ( 573716 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:42PM (#6018974)
    I actually think it'd be hard to see a full colour image behind a HUD type display. The colours in the background would blend with the colours in the HUD display. That's why HUDs always use monocrome green.

  • Augmented Reality (Score:3, Interesting)

    by jeroen94704 ( 542819 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:43PM (#6018977)
    Transparent displays would also be a significant advance for the field of Augmented [popsci.com] Reality [rit.edu].

  • I went to the newly renovated Ocean World exhibit at the Museum of Natural History a few nights ago. Their information kiosks feature a two-layered display. It is quite striking.

    The top layer shows information about the selected creature, while the bottom layer shows the "tree of life". Elements on both layers are selectable via touchscreen. The bottom screen is visible through the top screen - both through a window and more faintly through the content of the top screen.
    • The probably use a projector of some type

    • Yep, it does exist (Score:3, Interesting)

      by green pizza ( 159161 )
      The display you're thinking of is a MultiLayerDisplay made by Deep Video Imaging [deepvideo.com].

      The top layer is a mostly transparent LCD (not perfectly transparent, but close enough) and the bottom layer is a standard LCD with a powerful backlight. The effect is amazing!

      I saw this display and a few others at SGI [sgi.com]'s developer conference last week -- gobs of really cool stereo 3D and psuedo-stereo 3D monitors. The coolest was one by SeeReal [dresden3d.com], a display that tracks the position of the user's eyes to provide a true stereo im
  • But I can see right through this little transparent scheme.
  • Can't you see through this story? Clearly, it's an advertisement.

    I would hope the editors would try and be a little less transparent.

    I swear, sometimes I feel invisible around here.

  • Blue screen -- death (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:45PM (#6018994)
    So a blue screen of death while driving would block your vision while you careen into a wall, and really die. Cool!

  • Transparent screens... (Score:5, Funny)

    by jd ( 1658 ) <`imipak' `at' `yahoo.com'> on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:45PM (#6018995) Homepage Journal
    But how would you set the alpha channel?

  • Stacks (Score:4, Interesting)

    by JohnFluxx ( 413620 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:45PM (#6018996)
    You could have several behind each other - build up a 3D display ;)

    I don't know how close you could get one behind another, but even if there is say 1cm gap between each layer, you could still have cool effects.

  • transparent screens??? (Score:5, Funny)

    by bilbobuggins ( 535860 ) <bilbobuggins@@@juntjunt...com> on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:45PM (#6018999)
    how in the hell am i supposed to pick my nose at work?

  • Depth? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Figster ( 673598 )
    Wonder if you could layer these screens to provide depth of vision as well...

    There would be some interesting applications for a screen that could allow information to be displayed in three dimensions.

  • Transparent screens already availible (Score:5, Interesting)

    by adzoox ( 615327 ) * on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:46PM (#6019006) Journal
    To me a better type of transparent screen, more like the one used in Minority Report already exists (by conventional means)

    By embedding reflective but transprent phosphors and other chemicals/compounds into plexiglass or glass one can project images onto that glass with a normal projector.

    I did this as an experiment just after Minority Report using a tiny xb31 HP projector [hp.com] and plexiglass. Gives a really neat effect - just need low light / dark room (also as in Minority report)

    Although the layered screens i suppose couldn't be done this way.

    • Re:Transparent screens already availible (Score:5, Interesting)

      by hype7 ( 239530 ) <u3295110@@@anu...edu...au> on Thursday May 22, 2003 @05:03PM (#6019132) Journal
      To me a better type of transparent screen, more like the one used in Minority Report already exists (by conventional means)


      I love this "relate /. tech to movie" kind of thing. Whilst the movie itself sucked, Red Planet was full of cool future stuff; including some cool future uses for "transparent screens"; they folded one out and as it progressed across the body it overlaid bodily injuries. Another use was as a map; the screen overlaid directions and bearings, whilst still letting you see the terrain behind it. Very cool.

      Nothing beats the mechanical dog out of that movie, though. That's what an AIBO should be like! :)

      -- james
    • See my other post [slashdot.org]. These already exist from at least one company (DeepVideo). SGI and a few other companies are even supporting the mutliple layers in the software development kits. MutliLayerDisplays are a neat idea for certain tasks and make for a very cool demo. But not quite as cool as the true stereo displays (again, see my previous post).

  • Videoconferencing (Score:5, Interesting)

    by justfred ( 63412 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:48PM (#6019020) Homepage
    One application that could use this technology is videoconferencing - put the camera behind the monitor.

    This is already possible with one-way mirrors reflecting the screen, but one-way transparent screens would make it easier.

    Instead of having the camera at the top of the screen and looking back and forth, put it directly behind the middle of the screen, about 2/3 of the way up. Or have smart software that would track where the other person's eyes are and put the camera between their eyes so you could look directly at them.

    I believe that this is a big factor in why videoconferencing always "feels strange" and perhaps part of why it hasn't caught on.

    • Re:Videoconferencing (Score:5, Insightful)

      by GlassHeart ( 579618 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @06:45PM (#6019805) Journal
      I believe that this is a big factor in why videoconferencing always "feels strange" and perhaps part of why it hasn't caught on.

      I doubt it.

      In the good days, managers don't like videoconferencing because they don't earn airline miles that way. A lot of people like to travel on company expense, and pick up free tickets or upgrades for themselves along the way. Videoconferencing also tend to be troublesome to set up, so less technical people would probably rather use the phone if they can't just fly there.

      For technical types, it's nearly impossible to conduct a meeting with the jerky motion and poor resolution. I frequently need to draw complex diagrams (which is why you needed a meeting in the first place, not just an email), and videoconferencing systems today fail miserably here.

      Why hasn't it caught on? The question is what you're trying to replace. Most business or technical problems can be solved over the phone, instant messaging, and email. The ones that can't be solved that way can't be solved using videoconferencing either.

  • Okay...just off the top of my head (Score:3, Insightful)

    by CommieLib ( 468883 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:50PM (#6019036) Homepage
    Extremely convince illusions created by layering multiple levels of transparent screens. True 3D, though only so much parallax can be created.

  • For daily use (Score:5, Insightful)

    by LlamaDragon ( 97577 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @04:56PM (#6019082) Journal
    Am I the only one who would put something solid behind the transparent screen so I wasn't distracted by the stuff behind it? People walking around back there, maybe the dog running through my documents...it'd tick me off pretty quick.

    That may just be me though...
  • Now I can use my monitor for what I've always intended, to see what's behind it not on it.

  • Want to see a good example? (Score:3, Informative)

    by djupedal ( 584558 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @05:02PM (#6019118)
    Check out the sci-fi flik 'Mission To Mars'. There are at least two examples in M2M where see-through screens are in use...one is in the mars orbiter, where a screen about a meter wide extends down from the ceiling, and the other are the hand-held screens in use on the surface of Mars, where they are not only transparent, but they roll up when not in use. The actors make interesting use of the see-through screens in both cases. Shame the trailers don't show either screen.

  • it's all about the wallpaper (Score:5, Funny)

    by abes ( 82351 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @05:02PM (#6019129) Homepage
    Now I don't have to waste valuable CPU cycles on creating a wallpaper.. I can just put real wall paper behind my display.
    • But where are you going to find real wallpaper with a pic of pamela anderson with a mouthful of cum??

      and are you REALLY going to hang that out in the open?
      and if you change wallpapers as often as me and my friends do, you'll probably end up with a room that is about one inch less wide in about a month

      Suchetha
      • > But where are you going to find real wallpaper with a pic of pamela anderson with a mouthful of cum??

        That's easy, everyone has that. The real question is, how are you gonna get your friends to leave at night.
  • How can transparent transistors have anything to do with a transparent monitor? Perhaps if they changed color too, but I believe an LCD could be made transparent simply by pulling all the electronics of to one side, and putting a piece of glass behind it. The glare, etc is the problem, that's why it's in a box. Please correct me if i'm wrong, I'd really like to know if transparent screens and transistors are related, and how.
  • I have to admit, having a heads up display in my car sounds pretty spiffy. No longer will I have to look down to see my speed, nor check my idiot lights. All I would need to do is refocus my eyes to check the speed, or perhaps I could train my self to see the blur as i'm actually looking at the road.

    I also see the practical application of being able to place transparent screen tech in things like windows, eliminating the bulky television and monitors we presently use. Imagine not having to find a place

    • I have to admit, having a heads up display in my car sounds pretty spiffy. No longer will I have to look down to see my speed, nor check my idiot lights. All I would need to do is refocus my eyes to check the speed, or perhaps I could train my self to see the blur as i'm actually looking at the road.

      Er, yeah.

      One suggestion, before getting into some elaborate new purchases? Go testdrive a 'vette. They've had HUDs for years -- I love mine, and have a very hard time remembering to check the dashboard when I

  • A major step forward for Linux! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Cid Highwind ( 9258 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @05:09PM (#6019174) Homepage
    We could stack several transparent monitors and *finally* have alpha-blending in xfree86!

  • obsession (Score:3, Funny)

    by xv4n ( 639231 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @05:11PM (#6019181)
    okay... first the japanese develop the invisible coat [cbsnews.com], and now this see-through screens, is that a pattern or what?

  • Index of Refraction (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Ichijo ( 607641 )

    They'll need to choose a material for the transistors that has the index of refraction as everything else in the display, otherwise it will be tough to see through (like frosted glass).

    It's the whole reason the Predator (in the movie with the same name) wasn't completely invisible. Those pesky physics always spoil a good time!

  • This would make it possible to stack the RGB pixels on top of each other making it possible to display any color with a single pixel. Would that make the resolution of my laptop three times greater?

    -the Hun

  • Hitachi already makes these (Score:5, Interesting)

    by deanj ( 519759 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @05:23PM (#6019256)
    Hitachi makes these already:

    Look through this [hitachi-mu...dia.com.hk]

    There's a show going in Baltimore this week that has other vendors of this sort of technology too.

  • This is really neat, but will only be useful to me if it has adjustable opacity. I would want to have this in a flatpanel screen sitting on my coffeetable. I could have it actually blocking my TV screen. When I'm watching TV and want to view the chat on my talker [foreverbeyond.org] superimposed on the screen, I could adjust the transparency to do so, and when I wanted to browse the web, I could make it opaque to do that. Otherwise, this will only find decent use in such things as HUDs and the like -- some things in comput

  • Transparent Screens? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by dgallina ( 665193 )
    To each their own, but I for one don't especially want this. I *like* my flat-panel where I can seeit (and not behind it). :-)
  • Transparent Transistors [oregonstate.edu]

    At Oregon State University transparent transistors have been developed. I think it would be very cool to see these two innovations combined to produce a completely transparent computing device.

  • "If you will it, it is not a dream. Theodore Hertzl, Dude."

  • ouch (Score:2)

    by CAIMLAS ( 41445 )
    This sounds about as fun as having a sheet of paper on your windshield while you're driving, and nearly as useful. Ever try and focus your eyes on a non-opaque object, such as a reflection on the side of a fish tank?
  • We're just going to see all the dust on the back of the screen and on the desk behind the monitor. Yet more cleaning to do... :)

  • Gimme (Score:3, Funny)

    by inertia187 ( 156602 ) * on Thursday May 22, 2003 @07:15PM (#6020017) Homepage Journal
    This will go great in my flying car. Oh wait, where's my flying car!? I want my flying car!!
  • It's already done. Field Compass [defi-shop.com] is just one of already existing on the market products.

  • Has existed for a LONG time (Score:4, Informative)

    by moosesocks ( 264553 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @09:06PM (#6020690) Homepage
    Transparent LCD screens have existed for many, many years. They first appeared in the devices which were used to convert overhead projectors into a sort of ''poor man's projecter" (this was at the time when the only alternatives were 3-gun CRT projectors which were big, heavy, and expensive).

    How do you think LCD projectors work? Basically, they shine a bright light through a very small, transparent LCD.

    Desktop and Laptop LCDs are also transparent. Most simply have a piece of white plastic on the back of them (to reflect and evenly distribute light from the backlight. Of course, the big problem with LCDs are that they need to be backlit to increase contrast and brightness.

    I believe OLEDs were intended to eliminate the need for a backlight, and I'd presume that they'd be transparent like an LCD. Whichever way you look at, we've got some amazing technology headed our way in the next few years.

  • HUDs, I think not. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by mohaine ( 62567 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @09:53PM (#6020956) Homepage
    I imagine would be better heads-up displays (HUDs) for vehicles

    Normally HUDs have the requirement of 'Focus as Infinity'. This allows you to read them without refocusing your eyes. A flat LCD wouldn't achive this.

    As a side effect of of the infitity focus, the size of a displayed image on a HUD doesn't descrease as you get farther away, only the viewable area gets smaller. It is pretty neat to be able to read the small letters on a HUD from across a room, even if you have to read them one at a time.

  • I have one of these screens today (Score:3, Funny)

    by Zork the Almighty ( 599344 ) on Thursday May 22, 2003 @11:38PM (#6021482) Journal
    I already have a completely transparent screen today, now if I could just remember where I put the darn thing...

  • Already been done! (-1, redundant) (Score:3, Informative)

    by Myself ( 57572 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @02:44AM (#6022060) Journal
    Years ago I heard of a laptop where the backlight could be removed from the screen, and the hinge folded flat, so the whole unit could be set on top of an overhead projector.

    A little Googling turns up an educational review of projector options [becta.org.uk] where it's briefly mentioned, but I was unable to find any specific reviews of the machines mentioned.

    Personally I want a display like that, with an optional diffuser to slip in back so I can use ambient light instead of the backlight, to save power.
  • I always suspected that the real world was
    actually a 60km-wide disc, and that there
    were transparent screens on the horizon.

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