Other than CRTs, the major current video display technology is limited to liquid crystal displays, which are comparatively difficult and expensive to manufacture. The Brookhaven technology works by directing light from a miniature laser to a scanner, which guides the light beam into the proper sector of laminated wave guides. Composed of multiple sheets of laminated glass or plastic, the wave guides direct the light to the screen to display the video image. Also, the screen can be used in cold weather, whereas liquid crystals thicken and freeze as temperatures dip below freezing. The technology can be adapted to display 3D images, if the viewer wears polarized glasses.
Maintenance is easy and inexpensive.
We have been speaking with a number of companies that have expressed interest in commercializing the technology. The flat-panel video screen was originally developed under a technology maturation grant from the Department of Energy's Energy Research Office. Through interagency cooperation between the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense, further development of the technology is being funded by the U.S. Air Force and ARPA for military applications. Brookhaven National Laboratory carries out basic and applied research in the physical, biomedical and environmental sciences and in selected energy technologies. Brookhaven is operated by Associated Universities, Inc., a nonprofit research management organization, under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy.