Even though it’s not an electronics company, Bridgestone (the tire maker) is one of a handful Japanese firms that has been experimenting with e-paper in recent years. Last October, Bridgestone claimed the bragging rights for the world’s first flexible e-book reader. And a few days ago, the company showcased the newest version of their e-paper, now named QR-LPD (Quick Response Liquid Power Display), during an industry expo in Tokyo.
Bridgestone says their e-paper has a number of advantages over similar (glass-based) products. It’s apparently safer (made of plastic), thinner (flexible), and lighter – next to offering “memory capability” and a relatively wide viewing angle. The only problem at this point is that the QR-LPD can display black-and-white images only.
In the video embedded below, the Bridgestone representative shows a prototype of a pretty cool-looking touchscreen e-paper that can display color images. The company now also appears to be ready to commercialize the technology (it wasn’t back in October last year), starting with smaller screens first.
This video (taken at the aforementioned exhibition) provides more insight:
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