Displays that can perform multiple functions in one device are being explored as interfaces between humans and machines in the future. However, current efforts are limited to using light to visualize mechanical or electrical signals. Now, researchers at Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in Korea have developed a groundbreaking stretchable high-resolution display that can generate synchronized sound and light as both input and output.
The display uses a novel light-emission layer transfer technique to achieve high-resolution multicolor lighting and sound emission capabilities. This involves surface energy control to enable transfer printing of the light-emission layers. It consists of a hype-relastic substrate, transparent electrodes, dielectric layers, light-emission layers made of quantum dots, and a thin piezoelectric speaker.
The quantum dot light-emission layers produce high-brightness red, green, and blue colors. The speaker generates sound by converting electrical signals into mechanical vibrations. The display’s stretchability comes from the hyper-elastic substrate, allowing it to withstand over 5,000 deformation cycles with circle shapes maintained at 95% accuracy.
Two key applications were demonstrated by the researchers: visual-acoustic encryption using synchronized lighting and sound for advanced security, and multiplex QR code using lighting and sound for seamless multi-domain interactivity.
As for the key advantages of the display, it is the high resolution, brightness and sound quality, stretchability and durability, and the ability to simultaneously generate lighting and sound for innovative interfaces. Potential applications include wearables, mobile devices, IoT, advanced authentication, interactive displays, and multifunctional human-machine interfaces.
Reference
Yoo, J., Ha, S., Lee, G. H., Kim, Y., Choi, M. K., Stretchable High-Resolution User-Interactive Synesthesia Displays for Visual–Acoustic Encryption. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023, 2302473. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202302473
