Enabling the Future: Display Technology in Emerging Applications

Abstract

DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY IS INCREASINGLY DEFINED NOT just by hardware performance, but by the transformative applications it enables. Once primarily visual interfaces, today's displays are emerging as pivotal components in broader system capabilities—extending into sensing, diagnostics, communication, and even therapeutic intervention. As such, they are being engineered for increasingly innovative roles across a wide array of technical domains.

This issue highlights three cutting-edge directions in which display technologies are redefining system integration: high-frame-rate dynamic x-ray detectors for medical and industrial use; transparent antenna-on-display systems that merge radio frequency (RF) communication with radar sensing; and flicker-based visual displays being investigated for therapeutic applications in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Together, these articles underscore how display systems are advancing as enablers of complex, cross-disciplinary functionality.

The first article, “Dynamic Image Acquisition Technology in Digital Radiography,” by Yue Geng and colleagues, traces the evolution of x-ray flat-panel detectors from their early use in medical imaging to their expanding role in industrial inspection. As advancements in medicine, electronics, and manufacturing drive demand for more agile diagnostics, high-frequency dynamic detection—enabled by faster sensor readout and higher frame rates, analogous to video display refresh cycles—has become increasingly important. In medical contexts, these capabilities support real-time imaging for procedures such as intraoperative monitoring, now achievable with significantly lower x-ray doses. In industrial environments, they enable rapid, high-precision inspections in applications such as electronic component analysis and structural testing.

The authors compare pixel readout architectures—complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS), amorphous silicon thin-film transistor (TFT), and indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO)-TFT—highlighting trade-offs in sensor design, readout speed, photoelectric conversion efficiency, and system adaptability. As low-dose dynamic imaging becomes foundational across sectors, this work provides a timely perspective on the engineering advances and trade-offs shaping the next generation of compact, high-performance x-ray detectors.

Keita Iimura and colleagues present a novel approach to integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) through antenna-on-display technology in their article, “Enhancing Sensing and Communication Capabilities Using Antenna-on-Display Beamforming.” ISAC combines low-power radar sensing with wireless RF communication, an emerging requirement for future 6G and non-terrestrial networks.

To address spatial constraints in compact systems, the authors introduce a broadband leaky wave antenna (LWA) fabricated directly onto the display using a transparent metal mesh electrode. This reconfigurable design supports wide-angle 2D beamforming and offers lower sheet resistance and superior RF performance compared to conventional indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes.

The system enables both phase and frequency scanning, maintaining stable broadband operation across display-integrated surfaces. Iimura et al. also suggest potential applications in radar-based hand gesture recognition and non-contact biomedical sensing, including heart rate and respiration monitoring. The antenna film's compatibility with glass and metal substrates further extends its utility to automotive systems, such as obstacle detection.

The third article, “Novel 40-Hz Stimulated Brainwave Display for Reducing Alzheimer's Risk,” by Chin-An Lin and colleagues, explores the therapeutic potential of visual stimulation delivered through a standard LCD backlight to mitigate cognitive decline in AD.

Using 40-Hz flicker stimulation, the study showed improved sleep quality in both healthy and AD-model mice during short-term testing. More significantly, daily exposure over three weeks led to measurable gains in memory and cognitive performance in AD mice, suggesting neuroprotective effects.

Human trials used a 120-Hz LCD to produce 20-, 30-, and 40-Hz flicker, with electroencephalogram measurements confirming strong neural activation at 40 Hz across all luminance levels. These findings suggest that purposeful flickering light delivered via conventional displays could evolve into a non-invasive intervention for cognitive health—leveraging display technology as a potential therapeutic tool in the fight against Alzheimer's.

Collectively, these papers showcase how display technology is evolving into a foundational platform for applied innovation. Far beyond their origins as passive output devices, displays are now acting as intelligent interfaces between humans, machines, and data. We invite you to explore these contributions and see how displays are shaping the future—one application at a time.