Hewlett Packard is developing a mew flexible display that is solar powered which can be adapted for use as a wrist-mount. The obvious advantage to a solar powered device is that it sheds the Soldier’s reliance on batteries. “Soldiers in the infantry carry enormous amounts of batteries and gadgets that can weigh up to 70 pounds,†says Carl Taussig, director of HP’s Information Surfaces lab, according to a post on Wired’s Gadget lab. Taussig plans to offer the displays to the military next year which are just 200 microns thick. Printed using the same E Ink technology as the Kindle, the circuitry for the display is rolled on in a process similar to traditional printing while optical and electronic components will be stamped onto the plastic backing. HP has already spun out a company called Phicot to produce these displays. The power will come from existing solar cell technology that is easily integrated into fabric.
Of course the two major obstacles to this technology are being bright enough to see in the day and dim enough to see at night without giving away your location to an enemy. Then there is whole night time issue. It doesn’t require batteries but the US military does it’s best work at night. How long will it hold a solar charge?
