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Explosions may be the answer to mass-producing graphene
Graphene is difficult and expensive to mass produce, but while trying to make something else altogether, Kansas State University (KSU) scientists may have lucked into a promising technique. The team was attempting to make carbon soot aerosol gels by detonating acetylene gas and oxygen with a spark plug. That yielded soot resembling "black angel food cake," according to lead researcher Chris Sorensen. It proved to be graphene, a discovery that could pave the way for cheaper manufacturing of lightweight but incredibly strong materials, superconductors, and more.
LG's OLED display production plant is taking shape, will fire up second half 2014
To us, installing some factory equipment doesn't seem like much cause for celebration. To LG, however, it's the first piece of tangible progress made towards getting its new OLED manufacturing line up and running. At a shindig held to welcome the equipment to LG's plant, the company said it expects to begin mass production of panels for 50-inch plus HDTVs in the second half of next year -- a little later than the original plan of first half 2014. Hopefully there won't be any more delays, as we'd quite like to see the production line flowing and the mammoth prices of those gorgeous curved sets come down a little.
LG Display invests $655 million to expand OLED HDTV mass production next year
Sure, LG's current 55-inch OLED HDTV is pretty pricey with a US MSRP of $12K, but that may start to change next year when panel supplier LG Display kicks its new 8G production line into full gear. LG Electronics holds a 38 percent stake in the company and although it supplies screens to many others as well, the next generation of 55EM9700s will likely be a large segment of the displays produced. Although LCD manufacturers ramped up 8G facilities capable of producing six 55-inch displays from one piece of glass in the late 2000s, oversupply caused prices to drop and manufacturing to slow down, including at LG Display. Now, new display technology is ramping up investment again, which will see this new line installed at its P9 plant in Paju, South Korea at a cost of 706 billion won ($655 million). Based on LG's WRGB OLED evaporation process, it should be capable of working with as many as 26,000 input sheets per month once it's up to full speed in the first half of 2014. Chief competitor Samsung showed off "production" OLED HDTVs last year and plenty of demo units at CES with a mid-year release planned, we'll see if it manages to keep up before / if the tech goes mainstream.
LG Display starts volume production of in-cell touch screens, we have a hunch as to who wants them
Looks like we'll be finding in-cell touch displays in our devices sooner rather than later: LG Display has confirmed that it's been mass-producing the thinner LCDs since earlier in August. CEO Han Sang-beom also notes that manufacturing has been going as smooth as, well, glass. Despite the complexity of building touch input directly into a display, the company expects to keep the supply going "without any fail," according to the executive. As to who's making the orders? LG Display isn't naming its customers on the record, and production could be as much for its sister company's phones and tablets as anyone else's. It's hard not to pinpoint Apple as the 800-pound gorilla in the room, however. Apart from Apple representing one of LG Display's biggest existing customers, multiple rumors and component leaks point to an iPhone with an in-cell display being in the works. The timing raises a distinct possibility that we'll know more about the screen manufacturer's clients in less than a month.
Sony and Panasonic to announce OLED HDTV partnership next week?
With Samsung and LG (still) poised to introduce their OLED HDTVs later this year, rumors that Sony and Panasonic will join forces are heating up. Japan's Nikkei is following up its initial report last month with word from the usual unnamed sources that the two are "close" to a deal and could announce a partnership as soon as next week. Both have been busy developing technology for the screens, and according to the report Panasonic may be planning to start mass production in 2015. If this deal happens we'll see if it works out better for Sony than its ill-fated S-LCD tie-up with Samsung, as well as what it could mean for that sweet Crystal LED prototype we saw at CES this year.
Samsung mass-producing 22-inch transparent LCD, your desktop monitor seethes with jealousy
They said they would do it, and by golly it's nearly here -- Samsung just revealed that its assembly lines are starting to churn out see-thru computer screens that don't require power-sucking backlights to function. Unfortunately, it looks like the amazing AMOLED variety is still on the drawing board, but ambient light-powered LCDs are on the way, with Samsung offering a 22-inch, 1680 x 1050 resolution panel with a 500:1 contrast ratio to begin with. Sammy suggests we'll see it in HDMI and USB-compatible monitors and suspects it'll be used in advertising and teleconferencing first -- which suggests this display won't come cheap -- but we all know the true killer app will be a nice big frameless laptop screen. We'll take two, please. PR after the break.
Qualcomm lays down $1 billion for new Mirasol plant in Taiwan, catering small and medium devices
Good news, digital bookworms! After months of rumoring, Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs has just announced that Qualcomm will really be building a new Mirasol plant over there. Specifically, the $1 billion, seven-hectare factory will reside in the Hsinchu Longtan Science Park to mass-produce small and medium flavors of said transflective display, meaning the Snapdragon maker will, for the first time, be able to churn out something smaller than the current lone 5.7-inch model. Yep, those must be the low-power smartphone screens that Qualcomm talked about previously, which sure sound delicious. Now, what's up with our little Pixel Qi?
Toshiba sends 24nm NAND flash memory chips into mass production
Let's take a moment to congratulate Toshiba on a fine feat of engineering. It was only last year that the company started shipping 32nm NAND flash memory, and yet today its factories are starting to churn out 24nm chips. Unsurprisingly, this comes with the boast of offering "the world's highest" density and capacity per single chip, an honor going to the 2 bits-per-cell 64Gb parts. That newfangled Toggle DDR transfer-acceleratin' technology is also supported, naturally, leaving us only to wonder who'll be picking up the earliest deliveries of these minuscule data stores.
Giroux Daguerreotype is world's first mass-produced camera, about to become the most expensive one too
If you thought that shooters like Olympus' E-P1 or Leica's M8 had old school aesthetics, think again. The real old school -- we're talking 1839 here -- was all about wooden boxes and brass lens protrusions, as you can see above. The double box design of the Daguerreotype lets you achieve focus by moving the smaller inner box away from the front-mounted 15-inch lens. Exposure times can take up to half an hour, though, so you might wanna budget for a sturdy tripod as well. Speaking of budget, if you know the meaning of the word you're not probably not the target audience here, as a May auction in Vienna is set to start at €200,000 ($280,000), with predictions placing the final sale price closer to €700,000 ($980,000).
Samsung's 240Hz 3DTVs now in mass production
We're still waiting for details -- sizes, dates, prices -- on Samsung's latest HDTVs, but for now all we know is it's claiming to be the first to begin mass producing 40-, 46- and 55-inch LCD models with 3D 240Hz motion technology. Whether or not you're planning to put on some active shutter glasses and take in the 3D effects, a 20% increase in response time should make even old school 2D HDTV watching a smoother experience. Find anything wrong with that?
Cyberdyne said to be mass producing $4,200 HAL robotic suit
Years after the HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) suit first debuted, it seems that Cyberdyne's pride and joy is about to get really real. According to a report over at HPlus Magazine, the company is linking up with Daiwa House in order to "begin mass production" of the cybernetic bodysuit. You already know what it does -- inflates the ego, boosts your strength and scores you loads of nerd dates -- but here's the crucial part: $4,200. Of course, there's no hard date on when the first of the 400 annual units produced will be made available, but we'd probably get up with someone about a pre-order if you're serious about going bionic.[Thanks, Phil]
Tilt sensitive tiltBoard module going big for Xbox 360
Although the Wiimote (and the SIXAXIS, under certain conditions) already enjoy the luxuries that tilting can bring, it looks like those sticking with Microsoft's console will now be able to get in on fun as well. Thanks to a partnership with "specialist peripheral makers" Talismoon, the highly-regarded tiltBoard is reportedly getting an commercial makeover as it readies itself for "mass production." Details are admittedly scant right now, but the forthcoming product -- "which will bring tilt sensitivity for the Xbox 360 to the masses" -- is said to be "worth the wait" from its presumably jovial creator. And if you can't visualize just how spiffy it'd be to control your 360 titles without touching the analog or D-pad, be sure to click on through to see what the tiltBoard can do for you.
HAL-5 robotic suit ready for mass production
Tsukuba University engineering professor Yoshiyuki Sankai could probably give his two weeks notice if he should so desire, as his brainchild -- better known as HAL -- is getting ready for "mass production." Cyberdyne has embraced the overwhelming potential available in a fully robotic suit, which could prove handy in such applications such as "walking assistance and rehabilitation, nursing, factory work and disaster relief." Having already assisted a paralyzed individual (almost) summit a mountain, the robotic suit will reportedly find itself in hospital wards in Tsukuba city (alongside the HOSPI, presumably) soon, and the company plans to produce "20 units" by 2007, while ramping up to "400-500" in 2008. While the idea of having your own personal strength-boosting Halloween costume might sound appealing, you'll have to pony up an estimated "¥5 million ($42,273) - ¥7 million ($59,182)" to purchase one, or ¥70,000 ($592) per month to rent, but even that's pocket change compared to throwing down for your own personal Land Walker.[Via Engadget Japanese]
