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More info on Siemens E-Paper - Printable Batteries and Funkstrom!

siemensepaper3.jpgsiemensepaper2.jpgThe news blurb about Siemens e-paper lasted for the day and about everyone writing about it put out a "lets see a product" mentality - including me. Now I did get some interesting background information about this technology and how Siemens wants to implement it from my China Connection. Here is an excerpt from the information sheet:

The flexible miniature displays operate using electrochromic substances, materials that change their color when an electrical voltage shifts charges in their molecules. As a result, the molecules absorb different wavelengths than in their original state. The display consists of a electrochromic material holding a pattern of electrodes. A conductive plastic foil serves as the other electrode and the transparent window. To date, the engineers have been using silicon switching elements to control the device. The objective now is to use a printing process to manufacture the entire display, including the appropriate control electronics, from conductive and semiconducting plastics.

Scientists from Siemens Corporate Technology and Automation and Drives are currently optimizing materials that react so quickly that the displays can also show moving pictures. A partner company is already working on integrating the displays into the packaging and production process.

The displays can obtain their energy from printable batteries, which are already available. Because they last only a few months, this solution is only feasible for merchandise with high throughput rates or short-use durations. It may also prove feasible to use printed antennas as a local energy source. They would receive pulses from a transmitter in the shelf and convert the pulses into electricity. The packaging, with the displays, can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner as a composite material.

So besides what we all knew how this would work they specifically want moving images on them AND they even want to print the battery on them AND they are environment friendly (we will see that I guess) AND on top they invent FUNKSTROM! :). So again I would like to state that this is the most promising of all e-papers I have seen out there and they think a 2007 release is a possibility but I highly doubt the FUNKSTROM (for the english readers: Funkstrom is what would likely be translated to wireless power transmission in english) becoming a reality in the first gen products.

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