Touch panels, flexible/curved/foldable display, smart windows, quantum dots are hot topics at SID 2017

May 27, 2017, by Jennifer Colegrove Ph.D.

I just returned from SID DisplayWeek 2017 in the beautiful Log Angeles, California. It was my honor to meet some of you in person.

Touch panels, flexible/curved/foldable display, smart windows, quantum dots are hot topics at SID 2017. Each of these fields has some as expected, and also has some surprises.

Figure: SID 2017 exhibition floor

Photo by: Dr. Jennifer Colegrove at Touch Display Research

Mr. Bob Miller, Senior Business Manager at Merck/EMD show us its liquid crystal smart windows in large format, see picture here. This is NOT PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal), but only liquid crystal.

Figure: Merck/EMD Mr. Bob Miller demonstrate their smart windows

Photo by: Dr. Jennifer Colegrove at Touch Display Research

How many smart windows technologies are there? What’s the Pros and Cons of each type? Which company is investing in which? In the recently published “Smart Windows Transparent Switchable Technologies, Supply Chain and Market Forecast 2017 Report,” Touch Display Research Inc., analyzed 19 smart window technologies, which include 16 active smart window technologies and 3 passive smart window technologies. Some can be both active and passive. More than 130 companies working on smart window technologies are profiled in the report.

What are the surprises of each hot topic? More analysis of SID 2017 can be found in the “Touch and Emerging Display” monthly report.

Thanks for reading,

Dr. Jennifer Colegrove and team