UICO duraTOUCH makes it possible to use Smartwatches and Phones in any weather, with sweaty fingers, under the rain, snow, even while wearing gloves in the winter. As people come to depend on wearable devices and use them everywhere, users want touchscreens to work under any weather condition everywhere and anytime. UICO’s duraTOUCH projected capacitive (PCAP) touch controllers enable touch sensing to work in any environment, with rain, sweat, and using gloves also. duraTOUCH out-performs traditional PCAP that is in devices like Moto360 and Samsung Gear Live. It is ideal for wearable and IoT devices with super-low power requirements like 1X charge per week with wake on touch. duraTOUCH products include duraTOUCH controllers, touchscreens, and duraTOUCH Surface, a bendable wrap-able touch sensing surface. Look for this technology in the next generation of consumer electronics and wearable devices, you will now have technology that UICO previously shipped in millions only to customers in the heavy industrial and medical markets.
Category: Displays
UICO duraTOUCH water/sweat/gloves Smartwatches and Phones
Flexible Smartphones soon possible using Cambrios silver nanowire ClearOhm ink
Cambrios talks about the progress that they are making to build flexible touch screens, to enable flexible smartphones and wearables coming to the market soon, flexible solar cells and flexible OLED lights also. Their material is silver nanowire based ClearOhm ink, it is like spaghetti on transparent films, these are great conductors since silver is the best conductor on the planet. The material is flexible, it is already being shipped into millions of devices made by Lenovo, HP, Toshiba, LG, Samsung, DELL and other big companies. Cambrios can enable ten finger touch in monitors and all-in-one computers with a film that is so thin and light that it can replace ITO.
Kent Displays eWriter Boogie Board demos by CTO
The newest trends in various phones, phablets, tablets and laptops is the analog writing ability. eWriting is making a major come back with several OEMs offering stylus inputs in their devices. Yet, the true pen-on-paper experience is rarely found when you write on glass based tablets or phones. Kent Displays solves this problem with their cholesteric LCD writing tablets popularly known as the Boogie Board. The electronic writing experience with their solution is akin to writing on paper, you can even hear the pen scratching on the surface and the experience is truly unique. That would partly explain the success of the Boogie Boards which are shipping in millions of units each year. I met up with Dr Asad Khan who is Kent Displays’ CTO, in San Jose this week. He describes the various products including what is expected from their product roadmap.
8K HDR at 120Hz by NHK
NHK skips 4K and brings Japan directly to 8K with HDR, requiring extra bandwidth for HDR but it’s not double, it’s effective enough to fit the HDR information within the 100mbit/s 8K transmittion bandwidth. See my previous NHK 8K interview
faytech Capacitive 55” Touch-PC, industrial Touch Monitor, embedded touch devices
faytech shows world´s first 55” capacitive Touch as conference table, as single POS-information display, for industry automation or even as interactive information and Video Wall. faytech talks about them being industrial touch device specialist combining German engineering with price efficient Chinese production showing off a 15,360 x 8,640 pixel interactive video wall with up to 256 simultaneous touch points, set up from eight capacitive Full-HD 42” capacitive Touch Monitors connected to a single PC. The interactive information wall was developed by faytech for a German defense company as prototype for submarine simulators.
More highlights from the tour presented by Arne, the managing founder of faytech, is faytech´s new capacitive Touchscreen PC series from 7” to 21.5” with their patented rubber sealed IP65-front protecting the panels from water, dust and vandalism and faytech´s own capacitive chemical etched anti glare touch panel making them the first choice for Industry 4.0 applications, the Internet of Things and any POS usage. A slim 15.6” embedded Touch PC represented faytech´s embedded portfolio of 7” to 55” embedded resistive and capacitive Touch PCs running already as Taxi-application, in industry automatization or the point of sale. The presentation is completed by faytech´s first complete UL certified 19” Touchscreen Monitor and an optical bonded 11.6” Full HD capacitive TPC with features like light sensor, sunlight readable outdoor panel, full IP65 enclosure, RFID, MiFare, NFC card reader and even an integrated yoctoboard to open and close doors, an ultimate solution for entrance system and building automation.
Customers and distributors who need touch devices with a large stock of standard touch devices and the flexibility and competence to realize any touch device project can contact faytech at http://www.faytech.com or by e-mail to sales@faytech.com
BOE shows 110″ world’s largest 8K display, 5.5″ world’s smallest 4K for Smartphones and even 10K!
BOE is one of the largest LCD manufacturers in the world, they show the world’s largest 8K display at 110″, and they also show the world’s smallest 4K display at 5.5″ and 6.8″ for Smartphones and Phablets to come out, they also show a beautiful 4K display at 10.1″ and their transparent display for fridge concept. BOE also is the first to show a 10K display, shown here horizhontally and vertically, it’s like an 8K display but with a bit wider aspect ratio to add 2K more pixels on the side. Is it possible yet to get a 4K display at 65″ for sub-$1000? Maybe!
Sharp Free Form Displays, circular Smartphone, fancy car dashboards and no-bezel digital signage
Sharp LCD IGZO cut into all kinds of shapes, and every pixel seems to work. They suggest an an all-round shaped Smartphone will be possible next year, in-car dashboards also with circular and curved designs, space for buttons, all using Sharp’s IGZO technology, could also be round displays for Nest type of smart thermometers, on Hi-Fi systems, all runs Android, customized for all these special LCD shapes!
E ink round Flexible Smartwatch display, dual screen, eBadge
E Ink shows their latest displays for Smartwatches, Smartphones and more. Here are some of the solutions that they show in this video:
1. UHF Tag with Information display (Reference product from Hitachi Maxell)
2. 1.54” 200×200 EPD evaluation kit
3. 5.83” Spectra B/W/Yellow EPD evaluation kit
4. 5.83” Spectra B/W/Red EPD evaluation kit
5. 1.43” E Ink Mobius EPD
6. 1.1” E Ink Mobius round EPD
7. 4.7” EPD dual screen solution
8. 2.9” NFC eBadge solution – Battery less
9. Visionect – Joan 6” Conference Room Assistant (Reference product from Visionect)
10. 31.2” Monochrome Signage
11. 31.2” Color Signage
12. 13.3” Color Signage
FlexEnable Flexible LCD, E Ink and OLED for Wearable Devices
Indro Mukerjee of FlexEnable demonstrating their technology and products at Printed Electronics Europe, part of the IDTechEx Show! FlexEnable, based in Cambridge, UK, has developed the world’s first flexible transistor technology platform; the key to truly flexible and cost effective electronics over large and small surfaces. With over a decade of experience, IP development and technology awards, FlexEnable works together with customers to drive innovation across flexible sensors, smart systems and video-rate displays. FlexEnable’s technology platform enables new mobile and wearable products as well as sensor arrays and structural electronics that bring an extra dimension to the IoT (Internet of Things). Customers include OEMs, component manufacturers and materials suppliers. For more information see http://www.IDTechEx.com
CYNORA Creating Iridium-Free OLED Materials
Dr Georgios Liaptsis from CYNORA speaking to Dr Khasha Ghaffarzadeh at Printed Electronics Europe. CYNORA offers tailor-made solutions for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). CYNORA provides the display and lighting markets with emitter materials, which make use of Singlet-Harvesting technology. CYNORA’s research encompasses developing optoelectronic materials, including theoretic calculations, and material-testing in OLED-prototypes. For more information see http://www.IDTechEx.com
Agfa: Integrating Nano Silver Printed Electronics in Air Conditioning Control Panels for Cars
Peter Willaert from Agfa Materials being interviewed by Raghu Das at Printed Electronics Europe. AGFA develops materials for Printed Electronics and PCB technology. Agfa introduced ORGACON as a printable alternative to ITO in flexible backlights for mobile phones; and it is now integrated in many more items, like touch-sensitive buttons in home appliances and cars. Agfa has also newly introduced ORGACON nanosilver screen printing ink “SI-P1000x”, that features low silver deposition and ultra-high resolution printing, which in turn expands the possibilities in Printed Electronics. For more information see http://www.IDTechEx.com
Canatu and Display Solutions: 3D Shaped Touch Display for Automotive Industry
Canatu is a manufacturer of transparent conductive films for touch applications. Canatu’s CNB™ films are based on a new type of carbon nanomaterial (Carbon NanoBud®), and a new Roll-to-Roll manufacturing process (Direct Dry Printing®), which combines the synthesis of the Carbon NanoBuds directly from carbon gases and direct deposition to the substrate in one single process. Canatu has customers in the consumer electronics and automotive industry. For more information see http://www.IDTechEx.com
Sharp Memory LCD
At the IDTechEx show, Sharp demonstrates Memory LCD technology that delivers high-contrast, high-resolution displays for outdoor use. They are already being used in the quite popular Pebble watch. These LCD modules embed 1-bit memory in every pixel to enable each pixel to hold state while requiring low power. This delivers an “always on” display that uses little power (only a single supply voltage is required), even when updating images. This helps designers create products with long battery life. It also eliminates sweeping images or “ghosting”, because only the part of the image that requires updating needs to be changed. The response time of Sharp’s Memory LCDs makes it fast enough to display motion video. Right now Memory LCD is thus a quite good contender for the Smartwatch market, with Android Wear being a possibility also, perhaps Smartphones could use Memory LCD also to design a smartphone with potentially weeks of battery life instead of a day or two.
$70 GOCLEVER CHRONOS ECO Smartwatch with 20-day battery life and always-on Sharp memory LCD display
GOCLEVER CHRONOS ECO vibrates and displays notifications from the Smartphone. Using the dedicated Android/iOS application, users can choose which notifications from which app to vibrate and display. The display is always on using the Sharp Memory LCD technology, provides pretty impressive contrast for indoor and outdoor use with backlight that can kick in on touch and on lifting the wrist. With an amazing 20-day battery life with the always-on display always active, thanks also to the Nordic Semiconductor ARM Cortex-M0 processor, GOCLEVER CHRONOS ECO is to be available in May for around $70 on Ebay and Amazon in most of the EU.
You can read more about it at http://www.goclever.com/uk/products,c1/smartwear,c114/chronos-eco,a455.html
Canatu Carbon NanoBud Flexible Touch with CNB In-Mold stretchable, formable, conductive capacitive touch
Canatu shows their latest transparent conductive films and touch sensors for flexible and 3D touch devices. At Printed Electronics USA, Canatu announced CNB In-Mold Film, a stretchable, formable, conductive film optimized for 3D formed capacitive touch displays and touch surfaces in automobile center consoles and dashboards, home appliance control panels, remote controls, smartwatches and portable electronic devices. Canatu’s transparent films and touch sensors are based on a new type of carbon nanomaterial: Carbon NanoBud. Carbon NanoBud is not limited by the brittleness or metal fatigue associated with more traditional indium tin oxide (ITO) and metal mesh structures, and therefore stretchability and 3D forms are now possible.
Printed Electronics Europe takes place in Berlin April 28-29th 2015
faytech touchscreen PC factory tour, optically bonded transflective, Allwinner A20 and more
Arne Weber takes us on a tour through the factory operation of faytech Tech. Co. Ltd., a touchscreen manufaturer in Shenzhen he has been running with his wife for more than 5 years. This is the second time I am visiting them and faytech has greatly progressed since my last visit.
The video starts on the rooftop of the faytech factory in Hongmen Technology Park. We see a comparison of faytech´s standard 10” touchscreen PC, a high brightness waterproof 10.4” touchscreen PC and an optical bonded transflective 17.3” model for crisp clear picture even under direct sunlight. The tour continues showing the factory highlights: optically bonded resistive touchscreen panels, faytech´s new capacitive 15” touchscreen PC with Intel´s E3800 series and an explanation of their new A20 based embedded mainboard for industrial customers. We also see the equipment that faytech invested in over the last year like a temperature room, a vibration and gluing machine and a dust free clean room improving faytech´s in-house capability of touchscreen and high brightness panel handling.
The tour ends with a ball drop test showing that optical bonded touch panels don’t just have a better viewing angle, reflection and color characteristics but are also far more resistant against damages. You can read more about faytech at http://www.faytech.com
Sony Booth Tour with my 12-year old cousin
Sony 4K World Cup TVs and cameras, Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet, Sony Smart Glass, Sony E Ink SmartBand Talk, Sony Smartwatch 3 with Android Wear, 4K Camcorder with Sony Xperia Z3 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, Sony Playstation 4 demos, Sony Action Camera, Sony RX100 and more.
Samsung Booth Tour with my 12-year old cousin
Samsung Gear VR 360-degree panoramic video with Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, 4K TVs, curved, straight, Samsung washing machines and more.
Atmel Automotive Avant Car demo, Rob Valiton
Atmel’s Automotive Group showcases their cutting edge automotive infotainment user interface demo using Atmel QTouch and Atmel MaxTouch metal mesh curved display technologies, with up to a hundred million lines of code, at least 30 MCU-controlled devices, and some with as many as 100, the vehicle is the ideal application to bring smart, connected devices in the era of the Internet of Things (IoT). Automotive technology is quickly becoming an integral part of the digital lifestyle as consumers want to bring their mobile devices seamlessly into their vehicles. The next-generation AvantCar 2.0 showcases connectivity to the vehicle through an advanced HMI console connected to a concept car highlighting car access, car networking, MCUs, audio-over-Ethernet, MHL support and security technologies. The 2.5D (two-and-a-half dimensional) car showcases several of Atmel’s automotive technologies in a car access simulation for the Passive EntryGo, LIN communication in a car network and Car Area Network (CAN) communications—all systems that use Atmel MCUs, LIN transceivers and SBCs. Additionally, AvantCar 2.0 demonstrates audio streaming over Ethernet-AVB.
4K Display Industry Update by Paul Gray and Paul Gagnon from IHS DisplaySearch
IHS DisplaySearch are Analysts reporting on the TV industry. Here’s a 13-minute video talking about the status of 4K (where more than 25% of TVs to be shipped in 2015 will be 4K, where the bulk of TVs at 50″ and above will be 4K by 2018). Everybody is doing 4K. Here’s a 13-minute video filmed at CES 2015, talking about explosive growth forecast for Quantum Dot LCD getting extremely pure and saturated light for amazing colors. The cheapest 4K TVs were sub-$500 on Black Friday, even top tier manufacturers such as Samsung and LG are also going below $1000 for 4K TVs at decent sizes, seeing entry level, medium level and step-up from many manufacturers. Good 4K is not just the pixels, it’s color, fast refresh rates, contrast, requires a good engine, display, amount of memory, reliability, heat management.
