There's another technology that can give you a flexible flat panel of light.
It involves plastic layers with optics such that the light makes a 90 degree
turn and comes out the surface. The light source is a linear fluorescent
lamp (small diameter such as a T2) or a row of LEDs edge lighting the
material.
It's cool stuff, but I haven't seen anything but samples and I don't recall
the manufacturer. Maybe someone else remembers.
I saw a similar technology in use way back in the late
1960's. I was attending a conference in Miami and each of
the rooms used for presentations had a portable board
perhaps 6 feet wide by 4 feet high that was made of a solid
clear plastic. The plastic was edge lit, probably with a
fluorescent lamp. The back side of the clear plastic was
placed against a dark material and the front side faced the
audience. Due to internal reflection, very little light
escaped from the front surface. Special crayons were used to
write on the front surface. They changed the index of
refraction and allowed light to escape. The effect was
dramatic. In a dark room the writing appeared to glow yellow
or red or whatever color crayon was used. The high contrast
between the glowing letters and the dark board made these
boards easier to read than any board I have seen since in a
conference setting - other than the new electronic "white"
boards that detect and then project anything written with a
special stylus.
--
Vic Roberts
http://www.RobertsResearchInc.com
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