Sony and the Max-Planck-Institute have designed a new technology using both laser-sensitive and light-emitting molecules in a plastic substrate to form a display. When photons from a laser source hit groups of these molecules, the dye particles fluoresce, emitting light of the desired color. Normally, for a laser-based display to show a range of colors it needs three separate red, green, and blue lasers. Sony's technology allows for full-color displays drawn by a single low-power laser, similar to how the electron beam in an old cathode ray tube draws its image on an array of colored phosphor dots. Though similar technologies exist, Sony claims to have solved two problems that have plagued them: being able to create large, window-sized sheets, and keeping the image in sharp focus. As this research was just published, commercial products are still quite some time away.

[Via Gizmodo]