Electronic Paper Brings Images to Life

Imagine folding up a television screen and stowing it in your pocket or reading a newspaper filled with animation and video. Much more than science fiction musings, the technology to create paperlike video displays is being developed by researchers at Rochester.

The technology is based on liquid crystal particles that can be activated like a switch, allowing them to light up in any number of formats on an ultrathin medium. Suggested applications for the new technology include changing banners in store windows and shifting camouflage for military vehicles to blend with the terrain.

Kenneth Marshall, the head research engineer on the project at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, says the technology being developed at Rochester is different from other "electronic paper" technologies being researched. But the result of the technology-the innovative products themselves-are still far off.

Maintained by University Public Relations
Please send your comments and suggestions to:
Rochester Review.