Transparent Glass Display – The Basics and their Uses

 
Transparent glass displays are electronic displays which allow users to view the contents being displayed on it while simultaneously seeing through the screen itself. The technology was first incorporated into consumer products in the year 2012 by innovative technology giants like Planar Systems and Samsung, despite being around for a decade. Nowadays, such displays are widely used in televisions, handheld devices (cell phones, tabs), and other related technology like sophisticated shopping displays and computer screens.
 

How Do They Work?

Transparent glass displays are normally available in two different makes: ones with the OLEDs, and the LCDs. There’s a basic difference between the two that sets them apart.
 

Transparent Glass Displays with OLED

These glass displays are the most widely produced see-through screens in the market. The OLED transparent glass displays have two separate layers of glass on covering both sides of the OLED – the conductive layer and the emissive layer. . The electric current passes through the conductive layer and produces light in the emissive layer. The clear cathodes collectively with the thin cap between the screen pixels allow the screens to appear transparent. Although the OLED transparent glass displays are expensive and challenging to produce, they are still becoming widely popular. Over the years, the advancement in technology has also led to the widespread production of these screens.
 

Transparent Glass LCD Displays

Unlike the OLEDs, the LCDs do not produce their own light. They need to be backlit, and hence these screens are thicker compared to the ultra slim OLED displays. Normally, most LCDs are not see-through. Their thick screens and electrical backlighting makes them pretty much opaque. However, the advent of newest technological breakthroughs has made it possible to replace the use of backlight with natural sources like the sun. This makes the LCDs, slimmer, and pretty much transparent. Transparent glass displays with LCD technology are an inexpensive alternative for the OLED version of these screens. The only downside remains the usage limited by natural light restrictions.
 

Their Usefulness

See-through displays can be put to several prospective uses.  Where tablets and cell phones are already beginning to utilize this technology for better and enhanced interactive features, the displays have found greater purpose in applications supporting augmented reality.
 

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is a live indirect or direct view of the corporeal, realistic surroundings in which the elements are enhanced using sensory input generated by computers. These may include graphics, videos, GPS data, or sounds. A device incorporated with the transparent glass display can provide high resolution displays and modified reality to supplement the displays on the screen. This is the main reason why augmented reality applications are making increased use of transparent glass displays to make things more realistic and interactive.
 

Retail Application

Integrating a transparent glass display into billboards, retail outlet windows, and display cases can make static images appear more interactive. By placing products behind the transparent display one can showcase actual products complete with interactive information about the product that customers can benefit from.

Transparent glass displays are a fantastic tool to make activities like teaching, marketing, and even corporate presenting a more dynamic experience.