The smartphone screen consumes a very high percentage of the available energy, depending on the configuration and the model. In the past we have seen alternatives based on electronic ink that drastically reduce consumption; however, nobody wants to give up colors and high definition. This brings us to the new development by Bodle Technologies, a company that emerged from the University of Oxford, which seeks to create a screen that does not require constant energy.
The eternal struggle: battery drain
One of the first recommendations in all smartphone energy-saving guides is to reduce the screen brightness. In fact, this suggestion falls into the generic, and extends to tablets, consoles, and laptops. Manufacturers have implemented all kinds of tricks (timers, dynamic adjustment, light sensors, etc.), but the effect remains the same: The screen devours the battery. Some models explore the use of electronic ink, thus managing to display basic information without using the main panel, although they are true rarities in the market. What the industry seeks is the best of both worlds, and so we arrive at Bodle Technologies, a start-up derived from the University of Oxford.
A phase-change display
Besides having received a significant (but undisclosed) sum from the OSI fund (Oxford Sciences Innovation), the company is in formal talks with several high-profile names to develop a smartphone screen that does not consume energy. According to available information, it is a phase-change technology that uses electrical pulses to reproduce high-definition images and videos, even when the device is exposed to sunlight. Dr Peiman Hosseini, founder of Bodle Technologies, assures that this technology can be applied in multiple formats, including watches and smart "windows", a market estimated to grow to two billion dollars by 2017.
If everything goes well, this screen could eliminate the need to charge a smartphone several times a day, extending the times to once or twice a week. If we add the advances made in fast charging, the idea of "enslaving" a smartphone to its charger will be a thing of the past.
