The display hounds at Apple in Cupertino are known for innovation but they may have just crossed the line albeit a little too late for the Orwellian 1984 "Big Brother" scenario. I filed this under the "guess what" category when news of a new screen technology from Apple was said to simultaneously take pictures of the viewer looking at the display. This was uncovered by Barry Fox, a technology writer published in NewScientist.com who has turned patent dumpster diving (trolling through seemingly endless reams of mindless patent filings) into a true art form.

Steve Sechrist
Senior Analyst and Editor
of Projection Monthly &
Microdisplay Report

Based on his report, the idea is to insert thousands of microscopic image sensors in-between the liquid crystal display cells in the screen. Each sensor captures its own small image, but software stitches these together to create a single, larger picture. Here’s a quote from "Summary of the Invention," paragraph 0014 in the patent filing: "The integrated sensing display includes both display elements and image sensing elements. As a result, the integrated sensing device can not only output images (e.g., as a display) but also input images (e.g., as a camera)." (Are you beginning to see the Big Brother implications here?)

According to Apple, a large LCD screen filled with image sensors would be ideal for videoconferencing, as participants would always appear to look straight into the embedded "camera"-whether they know it or not.

Interestingly, this "capture-display" technique could also add a camera function to a cellphone or PDA without wasting space. To show that someone has really been thinking about this, the light from the screen will also help illuminate the viewer making the captured image that much better.

The top patent image shows the shadow mask with integrated image elements (330) in between each pixel opening (335). The bottom image is an aperture grill that has the image elements dispersed over the display.

Apple says, the more sensors there are, the wider and clearer the image. Fox says sketches accompanying the company’s patent show as many sensors as liquid crystal cells in a screen. If some of the sensors have different focal lengths, switching between them would make the screen behave like a zoom lens-that’s right, not only could the viewer become visible to someone on the "other-end" but their surroundings as well. (I hear Orwell rolling over in his grave over this one.)

Our take - this is a very unique and compelling idea and Apple is to be lauded for its creativity. Of course any new technology has the potential for misuse. Just don’t be surprised if your next monitor really is looking back at you and everything else in the room. -SS