Screen glare and reflections might soon be a thing of the past
Shiny surfaces produce reflections and glare. That is undeniable. Though there are various methods of reducing their intensity, none can eliminate them completely. This new discovery doesn't change that fact but it can do the next best thing, which is to make them barely noticeable.
Who would have thought that the key to drastically reducing glare and reflections might come from a butterfly?
Reflections and glare are some of the common problems everybody has with displays of any kind. Be it a monitor, TV, smartphone, tablet or whatever else that utilizes a screen, glare and reflections are always an issue. Anti-glare coating may reduce the problem, but it still exists, though at a reduced intensity. There might soon be a solution that reduces the intensity to barely discernible levels.
Researchers at KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) have discovered that the Glasswing butterfly's wings have low light reflectivity, with it being only 5% at the most extreme. Glass on the other hand, has a reflectivity level between 8% to 100%, depending on viewing angles. Through research conducted by scanning electron microscopy, they've found that the wings have special nanopillars on them which are of irregular height. This is what is causing the Glasswing's wings to have low reflectivity.
Working off that discovery, the researchers have successfully created a coating that mimics the properties of the butterfly's wing, though tests are just in their prototype stages. The researchers have also found out that the coating also has unforeseen beneficial side effects; it's also water repellent and has self-cleaning properties.
Needless to say, if the coating is successful in testing and makes it to mass market, it could benefit pretty much anything with a shiny, reflective surface. While there's no timetable on when (or if), the solution will be made public, the fact that it seems to work well even in its prototype stage is encouraging.
Source: EurekaAlert!
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