Paper Computer Demonstrated on Video, E-Paper Works on Cloth

In their search for means of making electronics even more compact, or part of one's very attire, it seems that one well known and one less known IT entity have each provided demonstrative videos of some interesting concepts.

The thing about some display technologies is that they are flexible, thin and power-efficient enough to work in more instances than most others.

E Ink seems to be trying to be a sort of pioneer, having presented a video in which an E-Paper screen is integrated into a real piece of cloth.

This is a major step in the ongoing effort to make screens not just flexible, but simple to integrate into virtually anything.

The SIRF display, as it is dubbed, was shown flashing on a rolled-up piece of fabric, two sorts of cloth to be exact.

It was not the only one, as E Ink also created a screen for Tyvex cloth which is hard to tear or cut. And is used in house insulation and security envelopes, among other things.

E Ink definitely is on to something here, even though the new screens have a limited segment number so they can't be used in E-readers.

Either way, there is now a real possibility for flags, banners, even T-shirts with displays embedded or 'glued' onto the fabric to be created.

Meanwhile, a different IT entity altogether, going by the name of Human Media Lab, released a video demo of an actual paper computer.

It is known as the PaperPhone and, as its name implies, it is a sort of smartphone/paper computer hybrid.

It boast an electrophoretic, flexible E Ink display with a diagonal of 3.7 inches and uses thin film sensors to make it respond (navigate pages in e-books, play/pause songs etc.) when it is bent.

“This computer looks, feels and operates like a small sheet of interactive paper. You interact with it by bending it into a cell phone, flipping the corner to turn pages, or writing on it with a pen,” says Dr. Roel Vertegaal.