SBIR Phase I: Vivid pixel array for reflective, full-color digital signage

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力有三个结果。 在商业上，引入开发的技术将占据126亿美元广告牌和标志制造市场的很大一部分，有助于其扩张以及室内标志和建筑美学等相关市场的扩张。 在环境方面，温室气体排放量将大幅减少，因为该技术相对于现有的基于LED阵列的数字标牌消耗的能源将减少100倍。 对于从传统印刷材料转向数字材料的地点来说，进一步减少实物浪费将是相当大的。 以科学为基础，以商业为重点，推进电介质弹性体加工和制造，将有助于克服阻碍其在其他领域商业化应用的技术障碍。这一小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目评估了在商业相关规模上构建基于电介质弹性体的显示模块原型的可行性。加工和制造限制目前抑制了介电弹性体技术在市场上的快速商业增长，而此时它正开始在利基市场（如音频相关的触觉和激光散斑减少）中证明自己。通过研究构建重新设计的像素的可行性，其扩展到大面积数字标牌可接受的阵列尺寸的能力及其性能，将获得客户接受度的更清晰的确定。 这些目标的成功完成将导致可扩展的、全色的、反射的显示模块，并且降低在与大面积应用相关的规模上操纵流体静力耦合的介电弹性体所涉及的制造过程的风险。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project has three outcomes. Commercially, the introduction of the developed technology will capture a significant fraction of the $12.6B billboard and sign manufacturing market, contributing to its expansion and that of related markets such as indoor signage and architectural aesthetics. Environmentally, significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions  will be realized as the technology will consume up to 100x less energy relative to existing LED array-based digital signage. Additional reductions in physical waste will be considerable for locations switching from conventional printed materials to digital. Scientifically, advancing dielectric elastomer processing and fabrication with a commercial focus will contribute to overcoming technological hurdles preventing their commercial adoption in other fields.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project evaluates the feasibility of constructing prototype dielectric elastomer-based display modules on a commercially relevant scale. Processing and fabrication constraints currently inhibit rapid commercial growth of dielectric elastomer technology in the marketplace at a time when it is beginning to prove itself in niche markets such as audio-related haptics and laser speckle reduction. Through studying the feasibility of constructing a redesigned pixel, its ability to scale to array sizes acceptable for large-area digital signage, and its performance, a clearer determination of customer acceptance will be obtained. Successful completion of these objectives will result in a scalable, full-color, reflective display module, and de-risk the fabrication processes involved in manipulating hydrostatically-coupled dielectric elastomers on scales relevant for large-area applications.