Japanese experts have launched a paper-based flexible touch screen

Dec 21, 2011 08:06 GMT  ·  By

Japanese researchers are one step closer to an extraordinary discovery that could make common books end up in museums while playing with the popularity of tablets and other high-tech gadgets. Their finding has also more than a few environmental benefits.

Kohei Tsuji and Akira Wakita from Keio University in Japan think they have found the way to turn old, ordinary paper into an amazingly flexible new kind of touch screen using color-changing inks and a powerful sensor, Treehugger informs.

According to the New Scientist, the new gadget gives users unlimited access to an experience comparable with finger painting, only it allows them to keep their hands clean.

By touching the innovative touch screen, users will activate the sensor placed on the back of the paper.

This way, electricity distributed through silver wires will increase the temperatures of carbon paste electrodes. Finally, the heat generated will reach to the ink that changes color and here is where all the magic happens.

Increased temperatures trigger liquid crystal structure modifications so red turns into blue and blue turns into green in a matter of seconds.

The new technology sound promising, especially when it does not involve a great deal of electronic components which, once their life is over, have to be shipped to landfills, increasing the already alarming amount of e-waste generated every year.

Second, it gives a new purpose to otherwise useless old paper. Third, the advantages are visible when it comes to energy savings, since it could efficiently replace tablets or other high-tech gadgets displaying similar results that require a significant amount of power.

Also, it could make kids form a different opinion about Cinderella or Snow White, since the new generation of interactive stories would definitely be much more entertaining than the traditional ones.

So far, experts did not talk about the safety of the inks involved in their process, or the recyclability of their paper, but if these two elements do not represent an issue, their innovative flexible touch screen could definitely exceed the popularity of their pricier competitors.