Though transparent display panels have been available for a while now, real-world applications have been few and far between. LG Display has some ideas that could change that and bring the technology into everyday usage, and will be showing off some examples at CES 2021 next week.
LG has already demonstrated how its transparent OLED displays could liven up an airplane cabin, show travel information on a subway train window, and even greet travelers and shoppers as they approach sliding glass doors.
Indeed, the subway train display will be one of the use case examples on show at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show – which is being held completely online due to the current global pandemic. But LG has some new ideas for applying the technology “to objects and situations that people encounter on a daily basis.”
Many of us watch movies while snuggled under the duvet, and LG has built a special frame that sits at the foot of the bed and houses a 55-inch transparent OLED panel. The user presses a button and the screen rises from the frame to display content at various ratios, with sound produced from audio technology embedded in the frame. And the Smart Bed frame is movable, so it’s not necessarily restricted to the bedroom and can be relocated throughout the home.
LG reckons that its 55-inch transparent OLED panel could also improve the dining out experience, serving as a safety barrier between staff and customers in the post-pandemic world without appearing too intrusive. As well as offering menu information at the local eaterie, customers could watch videos, movies or shows (or advertisements) on the display while they wait for their order to arrive, and could even see their meal being prepared through the screen.
“Transparent OLED is a technology that maximizes the advantages of OLED and can be used in various places in our daily lives, from stores, shopping malls, and architectural interiors to autonomous vehicles, subway trains, and aircraft,” said Senior Vice President & Head of the Commercial Business Unit at LG Display, Jong-sun Park. “It will grow into a next-generation display that can change the existing display paradigm.”
The transparent OLED display demo products will be on show at the virtual CES 2021, which runs from January 11-14.
LG explores more everyday uses for transparent OLED displays [New Atlas]