Video game and Sci-Fi tech coming to stores near you!
Japan Display Inc. (JDI), a predominantly business-to-business small and midsize panel-maker based in Tokyo, has recently announced several consumer products they have developed using their panel technology. Yoshiaki Ito, Japan Display’s chief marketing officer, has announced the company’s aim to branch out their business opportunity with these new products as they have recently seen record net loss with over half of their sales going to Apple. As the company moves into the consumer products world it is making a big bet on the continued growth of for automotive displays.
Up until recently Japan Display has mainly produced smartphone panels. However, this industry has begun to show signs of slowing worldwide. According to Ito, “Japan Display’s main battlefield is the mobile market but this business is highly volatile,” Through diversifying their products and aiming to dominate industries that have the possibility to grow well into the near future, JDI hopes to reduce their dependency on large mobile companies.
These new consumer products come to us straight out of science fiction.
Utilizing their smartphone display technology, Japan Display has developed functioning HUD (heads up display) smart helmets that provide all sorts of information and safety features for drivers. For anyone who has seen a sci-fi movie or played a video game, HUD devices are a commonplace feature so much so it causes one to wonder why we don’t yet have access to devices like this. JDI is aiming to change this in a big way and is starting with practical safety features for motorcycle and race car drivers.
“These smart helmets can show digitized speeds, map information, temperature and even fuel consumption…”
High-Transmittance Color Transparent Helmet Heads Up Displays
These smart helmets can show digitized speeds, map information, temperature and even fuel consumption in the driver’s line of sight. In July 2018 JDI in cooperation with “DANDELION RACING”, a participating racing team in “Super Formula”, they performed initial tests on their new helmets. Their displays used for this experiment eliminated the need for usual color filter and polarizer layers making for an impressive 80% level of transmittance. Clearing and widening the driver’s field of vision while aligning important information in their line of sight not only helps race drivers shave milliseconds off of their reaction times but also has the possibility to help regular motorcycle drivers stay safe in traffic.
This technology helps prevent drivers from having to look down to see important information and even offers rearview cameras to check traffic behind them without having to turn around. While this concept has been around in science fiction stories for decades now, JDI is taking the future seriously making these products a reality while announcing their plan to double their sales in the auto display business within five years, to ¥190 billion.
What is certain is that in the years to come we will see more and more of these kinds of products incorporated into our everyday lives and businesses first to the scene will reap the rewards.
