2010-02-17

Qualcomm's Mirasol Color E-Reader

Clipped from: Color e-reader that sips less power than E Ink? Qualcomm says, Yes! | Technology | Los Angeles Times

Color e-reader that sips less power than E Ink? Qualcomm says, Yes!

[... ] Qualcomm, a semiconductor company in San Diego, plans to launch its own e-reader this fall, using a color display technology that the company claims will use even less power than the grayscale E Ink.

Dubbed Mirasol, the screen mimics how butterfly wings reflect their brilliant colors. Other examples include the iridescence seen on pearls, peacock feathers or soap bubbles.

It works by reflecting the existing, or ambient, light around it, instead of using color filters that require intensive back lighting. Using tiny mechanical systems, Mirasol displays manipulate incoming light to reflect the desired color, pixel by pixel. Its ability to harness ambient light instead of relying on back lighting is what gives Mirasol its energy advantage over LCDs.

Clipped from:YouTube - E-Books: Mirasol Display Attempts to Trump E Ink

E-Books: Mirasol Display Attempts to Trump E Ink

Clipped from: YouTube - Qualcomm's Mirasol Demo CES 2010 - Future Color Kindle?

Qualcomm's Mirasol Demo CES 2010 - Future Color Kindle?

This video shows Mirasol's color ebook reader using their IMOD technology. Learn more by visiting http://www.the-ebook-reader...

Clipped from: Qualcomm Innovation - mirasol

mirasol

A Very Visible Solution

[...] mirasol displays are nature inspired. They use the ambient light in the environment to generate color. This is in direct contrast to films, polarizers and many layers of materials used in standard display technologies on the market today. A mirasol display is inherently friendly to the battery as it uses near-zero battery power to maintain a static image and needs no backlighting. This allows consumers to use their mobile devices longer while using less power.

Clipped from: Qualcomm OnQ Blog - Nature Knows Best

What Burrs, Geckos and Termites Teach us about Design

video

[...] The wings of certain butterflies have tiny scales and ridges that reflect light in such a way that only certain colors are perceptible to the eye. The optical interference that occurs within these minute biological structures results in “iridescent” colors that can represent any portion of the rainbow and change based on viewing angle. Our ‘tiny scales and ridges’ are itsy bitsy mirrors that move, changing the length of the wavelength and in turn, the color produced. Aside from butterfly wings, there are several examples of iridescent color in nature, including mother of pearl, peacock feathers and the scales of some beetles. The use of minute structures and ‘interference’ is essentially the same principle employed in mirasol displays.

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