The World's Smallest Projector

[BJ_M]

The PicoP will fit inside your phone and shoot a 50-inch image on the wall.


Video on your mobile phone and mp3 player is the latest thing; in fact full-length movie downloads from the likes of iTunes are almost common place. Too bad you have to watch all of them on that itty bitty screen. The world's smallest projector technology could change all that.

Microvision has invented PicoP, a laser-based projector that could someday in the not-too-distant future be placed inside portable cell phones, MP3 players, and other handheld devices. That's because the actual projector will be no larger than an Andes thin mint. The company unveiled a working prototype last night at Pepcom Digital Experience, a CES 2007 pre-show event that actually has no official affiliation with CES.

Using three tiny lasers (RGB colors), a combiner (to bring together the laser colors into a unified color pixel), and a tiny one-millimeter mirror, PicoP can project up-to-a 50-inch image in darkened room.

Images are not high-def, but they do appear in a sharp 800x 600 SVGA image at a 60 HZ refresh rate—that's because the combiner is shooting the combined pixels onto the mirror line-by-line. PicoP uses neither a projection bulb nor a focusing lens to produce the image. In fact, it conserves energy by only turning on the lasers when it needs them. So for an all green image, PicoP will turn off the Red and Blue lasers. This all happens in a fraction of a second. Microvision representatives said the technology inside is remarkable simply and actually resembles a DVD player's pickup head.

In the demo at Digital Experience, PicoP cast a vibrant image of Disney's Finding Nemo on a common piece of 8.5-by-11-inch white paper. The image was clear, but the amount of light in the large conference hall did not offer an optimal viewing environment.

Microvision said consumers could see PicoP-enabled phones as early as 2008.


slideshow HERE


ExtremeTech

[FulciLives]

I can see a new work place rule when these become popular a few years from now ... all closets will have keys on them that only supervisors and managers will have access to ... so much for finding a dark room for playing back your video at work LOL

Also forget about ever putting your coat in a closet ... all coat hangers will be external LOL

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[redwudz]

Fascinating. I wonder if it uses a process similar to DLP projectors with movable micro mirrors. If they can keep the power draw down, that would be a really nice toy.

[BJ_M]

no moving mirrors ... just moving lasers doing scan lines (no mech moving parts at all)

[redwudz]

I found this article about another company using similar technology with a little more info on their process: http://www.tfot.info/content/view/113/

It seems there are several players involved:

Several companies around the world, including Microvision, Symbol, and Light Blue Optics, have been working on micro-sized, laser-based projectors for the past several years.

(From the above link.)

When the price comes down a little, a laptop version would be really nice. Economical blue lasers seem to be one problem at the moment. But blue LEDs were difficult a few years ago, but now they are fairly common.

One problem with lasers is the possible eye damage from a higher powered laser and the tightly focused beam. That may limit the brightness for consumer displays.

[SatStorm]

I love this! Combine this technology and a 32GB memory stick and imagine the posibilities!

[yoda313]

I saw them demo it on the G4 show of the electronic show the other week. It was awesome THough I think it only be up to 10 inches or something - not really sure on the maximum display.

But whatever anything bigger than 3 inches would be cool