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Researchers create pixels eight times smaller than the Retina Display

by Mike Schramm Aug 30th 2010 at 8:00PM

You might be pretty proud of your iPhone 4's Retina Display, and those teensy pixels 4x smaller than the already good-looking usual Apple displays. Or maybe you're looking forward to seeing the Retina installed in some of Apple's other products at the event later this week. But like most consumer electronics these days, that display isn't quite state-of-the-art. Researchers at the University of Michigan have created a display with nanometer-thin sheets of metal (called nanoresonators) that use slits to create pixels eight times smaller than the pixels currently on the iPhone 4. To show off their work, the University of Michigan researchers created their school's logo on a display only 9 microns tall (a strand of human hair is about 100 microns wide, so the display itself could fit inside the period at the end of this sentence).

Crazy. You have to wonder what an iPhone-sized display would look like with a resolution like that (or if we'd even tell the difference, given that our eyes have a limit on the amount of detail they can discern). Obviously, this is strictly a research project at this point -- creating all of the "nanoresonators" required to make a fullsize display would probably cost a lot more than the iPhone 4 actually does. Maybe it's something to look forward to for the iPhone 5, 6 or 7.

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You might be pretty proud of your iPhone 4's Retina Display, and those teensy pixels 4x smaller than the already good-looking usual Apple...
 

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neo

Thank you, I never knew that, much appreciated. Amazing Dude, this is extremely good information, appreciated. central heating replacement

September 06 2010 at 6:07 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
collide000

Hello adaptive camouflage.

September 02 2010 at 4:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mike B.

The university of michigan logo should NEVER be seen on a display larger than 9 microns. Go Buckeyes!

August 31 2010 at 2:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Mike B.'s comment
evildrzinn

Mike, I'm a Penn State Alumni, and I'll STILL give you a thumbs up for that comment!

September 30 2010 at 8:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Don O'Shea

A high resolution display made from this technology would permit 3D display without special glasses. With a lenticular screen in front of the display multiple images would be seen over a range of angles.

August 31 2010 at 10:59 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
henry

This way the nanorobots running around your blood stream will have a display, so when they crash, you can draw your blood (RBC's are around 7uM) and under a microscope the pathologist can see the error message on their tiny screen. "there is an updated version of nanobot 1.3, would you like to download?..."

August 31 2010 at 10:45 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Elsic1975a

Why assume that all displays are meant to be used by humans?

Also, I think the nanotechnology comment could be spot on- think of the possibilities for eye replacement/enhancement.

August 31 2010 at 1:11 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Shiv Kumar

@roc3, not just Buddhas, but the whole Bhagvat Gita has been written on a single grain of rice.

@HitEleven, again, smaller pixels doesn't mean smaller screen, it just means the display is sharper.

@iPhone User, what's the point/advantage of a tiny screen supporting 1080p. You think you'll be able ot tell if the video is 1080p or 10p? I doubt it.

I think computer monitors need these kinds of displays. Heck I've even settle for the Retina display for a computer monitor. A small 24" screen with whatever the resolution of piexls that fit will be great.. I guess I'd have to restrict the resolution otherwise I won't be able to read a thing I'll get more real estate but things will be tiny. If I zoom in, well, then I'm back to where I started...hmm..

August 31 2010 at 12:31 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
roc3

reminds me of the people who carve buddhas into individual grains of rice…

August 31 2010 at 12:14 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Cy Starkman

I'd say the comment about the projector/HUD is most on the money.

As for an iPod nano with 1080p, well that would be useless unless you held the screen probably an inch from your face and then you would struggle to focus on it.

August 30 2010 at 10:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Shiv Kumar

http://www.matlus.com/2010/08/flash-mobile-10-1-is-slow/

August 30 2010 at 10:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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