This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is aimed at overcoming the small screen size limitations of mobile devices. The use of projection technology based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) micromirrors capable of scanning laser beams onto surfaces embedded within these devices offers a potential solution to the screen size problem. The end-goal of this project is the development of a tiny, energy efficient, low-cost, embeddable projection system capable of projecting large, high-resolution images at short distances from mobile devices. This effort will build off of work done in the Phase I project, in which a lab-scale functional prototype (a functional prototype has functionality but not scale or form-factor) of the system was built. This proposed effort will consist of two major research thrusts that are critical to the technology?s success 1) Development of an illumination module with integrated intensity modulator, and 2) Development of an advanced, miniaturized, pico-projector prototype.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project includes improving technology in the mobile device field. Business users and consumers are increasingly relying on the convenience of mobile devices as computing power and communication bandwidth improves. This market sector is increasing rapidly, and wireless mobile devices such as smart phones and netbooks are primary devices for computing and Internet access. However, the limitations of a sub-5" diagonal display have prevented mobile devices from achieving their full potential. The demand for ever smaller wireless devices (as witnessed by subsequent generations of the iPod) and the need for more screen real estate are in direct conflict. The capability of pico projectors to overcome screen-size limitations in mobile electronics devices, projecting a large image despite their small size, makes embedded pico projectors a perfect fit for space-constrained mobile devices. Through their ability to enlarge displays, embedded pico projectors can unlock the potential of the mobile device and make them more capable as primary computing and Internet-access platforms. This capability ensures this proposed technology will have high commercial demand for the extended future.
