Experiencing fatigue while looking at screens is no more a problem. Thanks to the advent of technologies like e-paper and E-ink. Now, utilizing these innovations, Modos – the company known for manufacturing devices using ePaper electrophoretic displays – has recently announced the launch of Modos Paper Monitor with a developer’s kit that includes a display controller and a choice of 6″ or 13.3″ ePaper display.
The monitor will have monochrome and color e-ink panel options with a 60 Hz refresh rate. The Paper Monitor addresses the issue that prevents the broader use of e-ink displays by using low-latency pixels that provide smooth video playback and responsive page scrolling.
The accompanying Modos Development Kit with open-hardware and open-source software is available for integration into personal and corporate projects.
This project is the brainchild of Alexander Soto, who describes a journey starting in February 2021 to defeat the eyestrain due to daily extended use of standard displays. When speaking to writers, programmers, students, doctors, engineers, other professionals, and those with health issues or impairments, he found many shared his name issue.
Working with Dave Crossland and Wenting Zhang, Soto successfully created his ideal monitor. Since its software and hardware are both open-sourced via GitHub, ambitious DIYers may be able to create this display or a similar display for themselves.
In addition to the monitor, Modos has developed a custom display driver with fast display memory along with custom refresh algorithms to increase the refresh rate high enough to support smooth video playback. To speed up pixel changes, the Modos controller updates multiple regions of pixels simultaneously rather than in series and can cancel pixel color changes before full state changes occur. To speed up page scrolling, the controller automatically switches to a faster black and white mode during scrolling, then back to a slower grayscale mode when scrolling has stopped. Click here to know about various modes of Modos Paper Monitor.
The Modos Paper Monitor can play videos without traditional e-ink display flashing, stuttering, or image blur. The 13.3-inch display has a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels, HDMI and USB connectors, and Linux, Mac, and Windows computer compatibility.
The Development Kit will be available in 6 or 13.3-inch color and monochrome e-ink models. Preliminary hardware information is detailed on GitHub and licensed under the CERN Open Hardware License Version 2 – Strongly Reciprocal (CERN-OHL-S).
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.