Rohm brings super-bright OLED out of the shadows, literally

Kyoto-based company Rohm impressed us at last year's CEATEC with a mega-tiny OLED display but it didn't rest on its laurels. A larger prototype exhibited this year emitted ambient light at 3,000 to 4,000cd/m² and a brief flash at 100,000cd/m² -- that's respectively 10 and 250 times the brightness of a typical LCD display. But the impressive bit was this: nothing illuminated cast a shadow. Obviously a light like that is a poor match for a haunted house or romantic restaurant, but surgeons use shadowless lamps at the operating table, so there are applications. The short shelf life of OLED materials is still a nagging disadvantage, but as Dr. Eldon Tyrell would say: "the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very, very brightly." Then again, he was talking about cybernetic killing machines, so, maybe not such a great endorsement.

[Thanks, Erik]

[Alex @ Oct 8th 2008 2:06PM]

ha loved the reference

[Chris Anderson @ Oct 8th 2008 3:01PM]

me too! I actually saw Blade Runner for the first time the other night...

[heffeque @ Oct 8th 2008 2:13PM]

Well... it's very important for ome jobs that it doesn't cast shadows. I like how OLED is slowly turning into a reality; a good looking one.

[ethana2 @ Oct 8th 2008 3:03PM]

It really is the ideal display. DLP, LCD, and CRT are all... they're complicated. OLED is just, you get the light that you want, period.

..my room is lit by LED, 10W total.. it's nice.

[Russ @ Oct 8th 2008 2:20PM]

Nerd nitpick alert:

Replicants aren't cybernetic killing machines.

They're genetically engineered killing machines.

[Ross @ Oct 8th 2008 4:20PM]

Hm.. cool name

[benny boy @ Oct 8th 2008 2:45PM]

How the hell do "shadowless lamps work?

[4honor @ Oct 8th 2008 3:05PM]

Are they redefining physics? I am actually quite curious... I want to see it for myself.

[benny boy @ Oct 8th 2008 3:12PM]

That's what she said.

[Mark @ Oct 8th 2008 3:13PM]

Yeah, I'd like to know too.

[spawnofbill @ Oct 8th 2008 4:02PM]

By creating a very diffuse light source. Think of it as the opposite of a laser, which creates parallel light rays.

[elloh7 @ Oct 8th 2008 3:39PM]

I believe these are more common than you may realize. Ever seen one of those large magnifyer-lamp combos? Sorta have a ring-shaped bulb/bulb arrangement in order to put light on/around/ your subject. Probably not perfectly "shadowless" but alot of them are billed as such. Just do a quick google for it. Most of what you'll run across are operating theater lamps, though (similar principle).

[Leoedin @ Oct 8th 2008 3:54PM]

I think in operating theatres they simply shine from a large area, obliviating shadow (kind of). This is a panel, so shadow will be minimised. But all light casts a shadow, just soft or hard shadows.

[elloh7 @ Oct 8th 2008 6:34PM]

More or less, yes. Panel = large area (compared to a standard single-bulb, anyway). This just puts out more indirect light from a smaller area than a typical op. theater setup would. At least, thats what it looks like.

[SSJChar @ Oct 8th 2008 2:52PM]

is OLED a viable technology for onboard camera flashbulbs? if they can make them super thin, then you can have a flash source on multiple places on the camera, perhaps making harsh shadows less of a problem?

[alanh @ Oct 8th 2008 7:49PM]

There are various methods for diffusing flash and eliminating or limiting shadows. Google up "ring flash" or "macro flash" and you'll see some examples. Flash can be used creatively, and shadows let you see detail. completely diffuse, flat lighting isn't what you want all the time.

[Steve A. @ Oct 8th 2008 3:29PM]

From every experience I've had with LED lighting (which is quite a bit), I've found the problem of sustained brightness in fixtures like this. While it is true that the LED element may last 50,000 hours, if they overdrive the voltage to attain the high initial brightness, the fixture will suffer from dimming in a fairly short amount of time.

Just buy 2 'cheap' LED flashlights. Use one until its batteries die. Replace the batteries and compare it to the brightness of the second light (which you haven't used). You'll see the brightness is about 50% of the other, even though the batteries are both brand new.

So far there's only been 1 or 2 LED fixtures that I've found to maintain their lumens, and they're both made in the US. Cree lighting has some great lamps for recessed lighting - I've been running a number of them 24/7 for a bit over a year now. Just don't use them in your home theater area, as their ability to dim is less than ideal.

[phrank @ Oct 8th 2008 4:22PM]

So YOU'RE the one responsible for the energy crisis. Good to know. :-D

[Bob T. @ Oct 8th 2008 3:52PM]

I believe the 'shadowless' feature is because it's such a large area light source. Photographers use light boxes to provide the same effect. No physics violations involved.

[LarryLarryLarry @ Oct 8th 2008 6:25PM]

There was absolutely nothing cybernetic about Roy Batty. He was a clone, not a robot. If you're going to drop obscure references, drop them with a clue.

[John @ Oct 8th 2008 9:45PM]

Bonus points if it whispers "time to die" right before giving out.

[H3g3m0n @ Oct 8th 2008 9:48PM]

Does anyone know if OLEDs allow for dimming or are they like regular LEDs?

I would guess they would need to be dimable to be usable in screens but maybe they sandwich some other material across them to allow for that which wouldn't make it to regular lighting fixtures.

☢

[cc @ Oct 9th 2008 12:57AM]

Well, they didn't mentioned about the OLED life vs. brightness though and the heat it will generates.
And if heats will affect their color/life... like the LED