Military Seeks Flexible, Thin Computer Screens
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Edited by Robert H. Williams
The Army Research Laboratory and Arizona State University have partnered
in a $44 million deal to develop computer displays that can be incorporated
as part of a soldier’s uniform. The goal is to produce flexible,
wafer-thin, rugged displays that require less power than current
flat panel monitors.
A new Flexible Display Research Center in Arizona will focus on
commercial applications, but Army officials said they are confident
these next generation screens will find wide use in the military.
The displays presumably could be rolled up and stowed in a soldier’s
pocket.
The displays will also be “integrated with computation, communications
and global positioning subsystems,” said John Miller, director
of the Army research lab. So far, officials say, four-inch screens
have been developed, noting that the aim is to eventually produce
17-inch flexible screens.