Ever fantasize about owning an ultra high-tech wristwatch? You’ll love the so-called Dick Tracy watch being developed by HP for the US military. The watch features flexible solar panels designed by PowerFilm, an ultra-light plastic screen, and a display that offers handy maps and strategic information for soldiers.
But why a plastic screen instead of, say, glass? The display is thin, low power, uses 40% less raw material than a glass display, and can take a beating. Millions of small flexible plastic displays are already found in watches, memory sticks, and more, but HP hopes that the technology will be available for everything from e-readers to computers soon enough — and it will be cheap. The company is working on making the production process as easy as commercial paper printing. And once that happens, just imagine how much easier it will be to facilitate the spread of computers around the world.
+ HP
Via CNN
Great new technology! I’d love to see this type of watch come to fruition. I’m so stoked to see all of these advancements being made on the forefront of solar power. Obviously the possibilities by efficiently harnessing the sun energy are virtually endless. But we have to make materials, like this one, that are more efficient and more practical. I just saw a great video a minute ago that was about how military scientists have created a solar cell that is not only cheap and flexible but 10,000 times more efficient. I’ll post a link to the video if you would like to see more for yourself. Cheers!
http://www.ndep.us/its-a-Small-World
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