I-Corps: Spontaneous Pop-Up Display

William Marsh Rice University, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

SPUD, the Spontaneous Pop-Up Display, is a high resolution 24 inch display that collapses to the size of a small umbrella and weighs less than a pound. SPUD can connect to a laptop (to provide a large secondary or primary screen) and to a tablet/phone (to create a mobile workstation when coupled with a portable keyboard). SPUD eliminates the screen size versus portability tradeoff. With SPUD, users can have the large computer screen they need wherever they want. This means that those who rely on large computer screens and frequently work away from a dedicated desk now have the tool they need to maximize their productivity. Example target customers include auditors, business development professionals, tax consultants, management consultants, and students. There are an estimated 10 million professionals who work away from their desk frequently and rely on large computer screens. These target customers know that large computer screens increase productivity as much as 50%, as demonstrated through many studies. This means that these mobile professionals can get more computer related work done in a day compared to their peers who work on smaller screens. Additionally, a 24-inch computer screen has been proven to increase productivity 50% over even 18 inch monitors, as shown in a Wall Street Journal study. Additional customers/uses include government (military, first responders, disaster relief) and consumer (gamers, campers, parents) applications. SPUD consists of novel mechanics and optics coupled to a collapsible screen and portable projector to achieve the collapsible computer screen. To achieve this outcome, the team has and will continue to engage in mechanics research to create an interface that optimizes screen quality and usability for the target market applications. Current mechanics research for this project has focused on heavily modifying well-known existing technologies and future research will likely focus on the development of completely novel technologies. Previous optics development for this project, likewise, has focused on the implementation of existing lensing systems for this new application. Current optics development for this project has consisted of the development of a novel catadioptric system that greatly shortens the throw ratio of traditional projectors while minimizing weight contribution. Future optics development will employ free-form optics. The project has large potential contribution as further development of a novel display type will have broad societal and science impacts. With a collapsible screen, there are many use cases that will improve quality of life for different customer segments and even potentially help save lives in first responder and military applications. The science impact will result in improved functionality and manufacturability for similar optical based devices while also furthering the development of freeform optics.