Sony appears to be taking inspiration from Japanese fictional monster Mothra in the design of its latest use of Blu-ray technology. Or, at least, from common moths.
Sony plans to use Blu-ray laser manufacturing to produce a type of bumpy film that will cover displays like LCDs and reduce glare by a large proportion. The film's design is inspired by the way nocturnal moths' eyes absorb light but don't reflect it to avoid being spotted and eaten by other creatures. Ain't nature grand?
According to Japan's Nikkei newspaper, the film can be used to cover
just about any type of reflective screen and will reduce reflection to
0.1%, which is 10% better than anything else on the market and should
boost the crisp picture of HDTVs. Sony thinks the moth-eye technology
will be ready for use in 2010, at which point the company intends to
license it to other companies.
Sony, however, appears to have a competitor in the moth-film business.
At least one other company is already working on a similar concept. Let's hope they don't get into a patent dispute, because in
this case it looks like the moths would win. —Rachel Rosmarin
