E Ink Showing Its New Prism Display Next Week At SID

May 28, 2015 by Dave Haynes

E Ink will be showing its very cool Prism architectural display tech next week at the SID Display Week in Silicon Valley.

Launched at CES a few months ago, Prism is color changing electronic ink technology that architects and designers can use to transform  spaces and surroundings. It’s not really digital signage in any conventional sense, but it is an option INSTEAD of a video wall.

The display modules are fully programmable for colours and patterns, and are sufficiently rugged and flexible to integrate with materials, structures, and applications. They also need drops of power, versus the gulps of a full video wall.

The output can look like paint, but can instantly change colours based on programming, as well as triggers like door switches or motion sensors. So someone could walk into a corporate lobby, walk up to reception, and a sensor would trigger a white wall to abruptly pop up: “WELCOME!”

This tech is not built for stuff like video or motion graphics, as it behaves like your e-reader behaves whey you can change pages. There’s a moment for a simple refresh.

It’s also not really competition to mainstream digital signage. It’s more of a complement, and you could see how this would be part of the mix in a newly designed environment that also includes traditional large format print and fully digital displays.