| Lighting technology hasn't come very far since | | | | require a backlight, as the LCD does not produce any |
| Thomas Edison first invented the first commercially | | | | light itself, but with OLED, the screen itself lights up, |
| viable incandescent light bulb in 1879. They've become | | | | so it doesn't require a battery-consuming backlight. |
| cheaper but not much more efficient nor effective. | | | | We are now beginning to see OLED TVs becoming |
| Energy-saving light bulbs came along promising to | | | | available, although only in small screen sizes at the |
| save you money and be more efficient. | | | | moment. Once this technology becomes more |
| Unfortunately, this meant sacrificing light-quality for its | | | | mainstream and is cheaper to produce, we will then |
| energy saving properties. Anyone who uses | | | | start to see OLED lighting becoming commercially |
| energy-saving bulbs will tell you the quality and | | | | available. |
| brightness of light you receive from them is far | | | | Before, when considering lighting options in a building, |
| inferior to old-fashioned incandescent bulbs. OLED or | | | | the structure and layout influenced where lights could |
| Organic Light Emitting Diode technology is the new | | | | be fitted. Often, the layout and shape of a building |
| kid on the block, and this technology will change | | | | would have a negative influence on lighting. Well, not |
| EVERYTHING. | | | | anymore. The main advantages of OLED are that it |
| OLED technology dates back as far as the 1950's, | | | | can be made into thin sheets, only millimeters thick, |
| but the adventure into OLED really began in the 60's | | | | and it is also flexible. It can be rolled around an object |
| with several experiments by Martin Pope, who | | | | such as a pillar or across a curved wall. It can also be |
| demonstrated the possibilities of the new technology. | | | | produced to emit any light color and can produce a |
| Very simply, OLED works by passing an electric | | | | very pure white light, ideal for artists or designers |
| current through a special organic compound. This | | | | who require accurate white lighting. |
| current causes the compound to glow. The amazing | | | | This technology is still in its early stages, but the |
| thing about this material is it can be as thin as a piece | | | | future of this technology promises amazing things. |
| of paper and consumes very little energy. While the | | | | Imagine an entire wall coated in OLED, where you |
| idea might be simple, it has taken until quite recently | | | | could change the colour of the whole wall at the flick |
| for the technology to be applied practically. | | | | of a button, or doors which glow in a fire emergency |
| The first large-scale application has been mobile | | | | showing the way to safety. It would seem the |
| devices such as cell phones and MP3 players. OLED | | | | future of OLED is bright. |
| screens are used because normal LCD displays | | | | |