Neoluxiim demos solar-powered e ink display

We've been sort of wondering when we'd see a solar e-ink display, and here we are -- Neoluxiim is demoing this panel for use in point-of-sale advertising. What's interesting here is that the background appears to be in color while the text is black, but we're assuming that's just a fixed image behind the e-ink layer. Everyone ready for impulse purchasing to go high-tech? Video after the break.

[yode @ Jul 12th 2009 5:05PM]

last

[dodo @ Jul 14th 2009 2:44AM]

At last, someone who's last first....

[GroovDude @ Jul 12th 2009 7:24PM]

Just today, I put two bucks in a vending machine to get a $1 snickers bar, then it gave me a dollar!

[TZK @ Jul 12th 2009 7:51PM]

pi

[Templarian @ Jul 12th 2009 5:11PM]

If you wanted to read in the dark your completely screwed now.

[Aguiluz @ Jul 12th 2009 5:31PM]

Reading against the light causes glare too (unless there's something with e-inks).

[Phoenix @ Jul 12th 2009 5:56PM]

E-Ink works just like paper. So no.

[andres @ Jul 12th 2009 7:18PM]

you'd have the same problem with a book

[JimboJones @ Jul 12th 2009 11:49PM]

this is great in places where you do not have power and want to put some ads like hallways, this can work great at the airports as well

[DanielT @ Jul 12th 2009 5:39PM]

oooh, that will make a fine novelty belt buckle.

[Jagger @ Jul 12th 2009 5:51PM]

FIFTH

[murmermer @ Jul 12th 2009 7:25PM]

Sixth

[GroovDude @ Jul 12th 2009 7:27PM]

OMG! At 0:31 it so disappeared! ME WANT! (>^.^)>

[windblownmonkey @ Jul 12th 2009 7:32PM]

I think I saw a tech just like this at Dollywood Splash Country actually. It was a small keychain, that was solar powered. It would charge about 3 seconds, then light up a color led style display(super thin) that displayed your name in black for about 3 seconds. Looked just like that.

5 bucks.

[Michael @ Jul 12th 2009 7:46PM]

Pretty cool. But it will be even better when they can integrate the solar panel directly into the display. I don't know how it could work, but perhaps every other pixel could be a solar cell. With small enough pixels and enough resolution you probably couldn't even tell. Hell, while they're at it, might as well throw in a third series of pixels with microlenses on them to also make the whole display a camera.

Start > All Programs > Accessories > Mirror

[hempey @ Jul 12th 2009 7:56PM]

Just so you know, you can't have a fixed image behind an e-ink layer. E-ink is totally opaque. The only way they could have that color is having a partially tinted translucent cover.

[Plothole @ Jul 12th 2009 8:02PM]

You cannot have a fixed image *behind* the eInk, since the eInk layer itself would be opaque. Something else is going on here.

[andres @ Jul 12th 2009 9:06PM]

i thought thats how the national inquirer did it with their magazine on that one issue. maybe my memory is just hazy.

[Plothole @ Jul 12th 2009 11:11PM]

Esquire is what you're thinking of. However they used a translucent graphic *above* the eInk. Spencer makes a good point below... that's probably what they're doing here too.

[andres @ Jul 13th 2009 2:50AM]

ahh, thank you.

[Spencer @ Jul 12th 2009 9:09PM]

That was my first thought too. However, when the screen refreshes you can still see a hint of the "background" image, so I would say that it's a transparent overlay on top of the screen, rather than something *behind* the e-ink panel.

[Mikey C. @ Jul 12th 2009 9:20PM]

Does anyone else think this is just over-rated smoke and mirrors? obviously I don't mean that literally, but you can get the same effect, series of images not overlapping one another, by having painted glass and then sections of the glass which are lit up to show the image through a dark screen. I mean, I just don't see the promise in this technology. I'm much more interested in bendable OLED screens. If I'm missing something I'd like to be the first to admit I may be missing something crucial here and open minded to be enlightened.

[Plothole @ Jul 12th 2009 11:15PM]

The advantage will using eInk is that it only requires power while refreshing. Thus you can run the whole thing on a small solar cell, as shown here.

[mcurrens @ Jul 13th 2009 2:38AM]

My esquire magazine ran for over 6 months before the battery finally gave out.