Micro-projector uses OLED tech

Tiny, low power beamers will be ideal for mobile phones

OLED tech promises bright low power micro projectors

Micro projection was hot news at this year's CES show, with demos of various future systems.

Now scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics in Germany have created a tiny OLED projector that doesn't need any extra illumination, and takes very little power from the phone's battery.

They predict that they will soon have a projector capable of projecting live TV from a mobile phone on to white walls or even seaside towels.

Fingertip-sized projector

The prototype OLED (organic light emitting diode) projector is 2.5 centimeters long, has a diameter of 1.8 centimeters and can be "easily integrated" into a mobile or PDA.

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A lens system projects the image produced by the OLED onto a wall or other flat surface. The lenses are currently made of glass but the research scientists are already developing a system using cheaper plastic lenses.

The OLED display produces a monochrome image with a brightness of 10,000 candelas per square meter; for colour images the brightness is about half that level.

In comparison, a computer monitor generates about 150-300 candelas per square meter.