Last year at NeoCon, a company called E Ink garnered significant attention as it made its NeoCon debut on the 8th floor. Since then, the E Ink team has been very busy, showing its product, E Ink Prism, at shows like the 2015 Society of Experiential Graphic Design Conference in Chicago, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, and most recently at Salone del Mobile in Milan.
For the less tech-minded, journeying into the technology sections at NeoCon can be a slightly intimidating experience… “What will I find there?” “How will these things apply to me?” “Will these products require me to learn a bunch of new software programs?” “These products are all probably super expensive.” “Ugh.”
The reality is that the tech sections of NeoCon have some of the coolest stuff available – and thankfully, that includes E Ink.
E Ink is a leading innovator of electronic ink technology. Until recently, the company has enjoyed a successful life in the hi-tech consumer electronics market, applying its technology to ePaper and eReader applications. Now, with the introduction of its Prism product, it’s taking a deep dive into the architectural products market.
E Ink Prism combines color changing electronic ink tech with architectural products and applications to instantly change the color of a wall, ceiling panel, furniture piece, or entire room. The product is a manifestation of an “experience” heavy marketing strategy that many companies are using to engage talent, clients and customers.
Put simply, it exists somewhere between static paint elements and power-hungry digital displays. Prism can be applied as a film to many existing architectural products – think glass, acrylics, MDF, and other materials – to transform the way people experience a space.
So what exactly is electronic ink, and how does it work? For the nitty-gritty tech details behind the E Ink, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqu1–AzM7U&feature=youtu.be. Electronic ink is tricky to explain, so we’ll defer to Joe Fillion, senior business development manager at E Ink, to spell out the basics:
>“The material is made up of many microscopic capsules slightly larger than the size of your hair.
>Each capsule contains colored pigment. The video tutorial contains black and white, Prism would also include colored pigments.
>The pigments used are the same as those used in traditional printing but they have been modified to be responsive to electrical current. It takes a static material and makes it dynamic.
>The capsules are placed between two conductive layers of film. When voltage is applied to one side of the film, the pigments switch from top to bottom or bottom to top. The top side of the film is the visible color.”
Prism can be used to accomplish a broad range of design goals – interiors professionals can use it to elevate a client’s corporate visual branding, boost visitor engagement, build an interactive setting, or develop a one-of-a-kind “wow” experience for users. Designers can play with color, shapes, and patterns when designing a Prism application.
“Doors can indicate if a conference room is occupied, wall designs can respond to noise, temperature, or motion in the room,” details E Ink’s website.
Space applications include everything from commercial, hospitality and healthcare lobbies and receptions, to airport terminals, public auditoriums, customer reception areas and displays in retail spaces, and more. Corporate, institutional, hospitality, healthcare, exhibit and retail market segments are all fair game.
What are Prism’s differentiators?
>Prism-activated materials are full programmable, and can change automatically, with various speeds, or remain static as a locked experience.
>Low power consumption: Once Prism is initially activated with a very small amount of power, it requires no further power to maintain its charge; “While it requires electrical current to make the pigments move within the capsule, it is not required to hold the pigments in place,” explains Mr. Fillion. “For example, an eReader only uses power to change the page, not keep the image on the page. This means a significant reduction in power consumption vs. other technologies, whether it be a display or architectural colors (e.g. LEDs).” And, no electrical outlets are required.
>Sustainably friendly: In addition to helping cut costs, Prism’s low power consumption makes it a sustainable alternative to fully digital solutions.
>Prism is fully reflective, not emissive: “Because E Ink is made of pigments, it behaves similarly to paint where its appearance improves as the ambient light increases,” notes Mr. Fillion. “In comparison, LCD displays and LED lighting emit light and therefore compete with brighter ambient environments.”
Prism is scalable in nature, which enables designer’s use it on various budget levels; interior architects and designers can create a captivating focal point by changing one panel or reception desk, or transform an entire space with a large-scale custom installation.
“It’s certainly not going to be the price of paint – it’s an application that designers will use when they want to make a concerted effort to go to a different level,” noted Mr. Fillion.
Where static materials such as paint exist at the lower end of the cost spectrum, and fully digital solutions at the higher end, Prism exists somewhere in between as a moderate cost option.
This year at NeoCon, E Ink will find a home in the “Finishes, Materials + Interior Building Products” section of the newly minted 7th floor Exhibit Hall, at the west end of the floor near Corning and Dyson. At the booth, visitors will find samples and design demos, and will be able to experience Prism through various design sequences.
The booth will also show a replica of eFLOW, an interactive sculpture designed with E Ink Prism technology by experiential design firm Ueberall that was displayed at Superstudio during Salone; the sculpture includes sensors enabling it to be responsive to human movement (E Ink would have brought the original sculpture, but installation requires a 22-foot ceiling).
In addition to introducing two new Prism designs, E Ink will expand on its partnership with 3form this year with the introduction of a few new collaborative designs Woven WallIn
E Ink Prism is an embodiment of a company scaling its technology to new markets, and of a successful colliding of the tech and A&D communities. E Ink founders Joseph Jacobson, Barrett Comiskey and JD Albert were recently inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame for their invention of electronic ink – inclusion in this group is elite; just over 500 inventions are part of the Hall of Fame from the more than 9 million patents registered with the U.S. Patent office.
“This is one of many applications where E Ink technology can disrupt a market, the same way it revolutionized the reading market,” said E Ink Chairman Frank Ko, in Prism’s press release. The release continues, “In developing Prism, E Ink scientists built on the wealth of E Ink’s existing intellectual property and further expanded the technology in a number of areas. Prism is a great example of E Ink’s commitment to long term research and investment to develop new products geared toward new markets.”
We couldn’t agree more – this product seems no small feat, and one that we’ll be keeping our eye on.