LG Display, one of the leading manufacturers of display technologies, has provided the world’s first transparent OLED displays for the windows of metro trains for a trial in the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shenzhen. Transparent OLED screens are appealing not only for self-driving cars, aeroplanes and metro trains, but also in industries such as smart home and smart building. Because OLEDs are self-illuminating and do not require background lighting, they are able to generate a maximum rate of transparency.
The transparent 55-inch OLED displays installed in the Beijing and Shenzhen metro systems offer real-time information about train schedules, locations, transfers, flights and more. LG Display is planning to expand the transparent-OLED service in the most important metro stations in cooperation with railway companies and manufacturers of metro glass. According to consulting firm Prescient & Strategic Intelligence, the market for transparent displays is expected to grow by 46% annually on average and reach a value of 4.93 billion dollars by 2024.
The Chinese brand Xiaomi is also demonstrating how screens detached from any recognisable casing will soon crop up everywhere. With the Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition, the company is celebrating its tenth anniversary by presenting an ultra-thin OLED television measuring 55 inches diagonally and just 5.6 mm deep in its case. The display is completely transparent when switched off, with all the technology housed in the round base and not on the rear of the device. The device is planned to cost the equivalent of 6,100 euros and is presently only available in China. The question is: do we really want to see the wall behind the television?
