"Flexible Fins & Liquid Droplets: The Future of Displays Surpassing LED Screens"
Engineers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed flexible displays using capillary-controlled robotic flapping fins and liquid droplets, inspired by the morphing skins of animals like chameleons and octopuses. These displays can change color, convey information, and send messages via infrared radiation. The displays are 1,000 times more energy efficient than LED screens and can achieve complex motions, such as simulating the opening of a flower bloom. The technology allows for the creation of images on curved surfaces and the ability to send two simultaneous signals, visible to the human eye and infrared cameras. However, the displays are sensitive to gravity and require further development to overcome this limitation.