The display market is seeing a major transformation, as the emergence of lightweight flexible displays are leading to a host of new applications. By utilizing flexible substrates, large displays can now be utilized in places where traditional flat panel glass displays could never go, whether it is for retail, hotels and casinos or advertising and trade shows.

For NanoLumens Inc., the world of flexible displays brings great opportunities in all of these markets. Through its patented LED technology, NanoLumens brings the highest-quality images instantaneously in various lightweight sizes and spaces.

“NanoLumens has not tried to re-invent traditional displays,” said Josh Byrd, marketing manager at NanoLumens. “Instead, we sought to design an entirely new kind of display designed from the end user’s perspective. Our patented technology has allowed us to build a beautiful, thin, lightweight and flexible large format LED display solution unlike anything in the display market today, giving you unmatched ability to utilize display technology in ways only limited by your imagination.”

Headquartered in Norcross, GA, NanoLumens was founded in 2006 after commercializing a core technology for flexible displays purchased from a research group at a major Canadian university.

“Our CEO, Rick Cope, saw a need for flexible displays to curve around walls and other non-flat surfaces in modern architecture instead of traditional flat boxy displays,” Byrd noted. “The NanoLumens product suite was developed to address a rapidly growing high-value digital display market, which includes indoor advertising, trade shows, hotels, casinos, military and more.”

High-quality flexible displays offer numerous advantages, and Byrd noted that NanoLumens’ technology provides all of these capabilities to their customers.

“In order to compete in the fast growing digital advertising industry, companies are looking for new ways to showcase their marketing campaigns outside of the home and break through the clutter,” Byrd said. “Until this point in time, size, shape, curvature and infrastructure of physical spaces often significantly limited or prohibited the use of traditional digital displays.”

“NanoLumens technology was developed to address this demand,” Byrd added. “For the first time, digital displays can be placed on odd-shaped or curved walls, hung from ceilings or wrapped around columns where large, heavy, high-maintenance and fragile displays are impractical if not impossible to install or use.”

Craftsmanship is critical to NanoLumens’ team. All of its displays are designed and hand-built in Atlanta, which ensures top-flight quality. Byrd noted that the response from customers has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Everywhere we go, people are amazed at the unique size, weight and flexibility without compromise to image quality,” Byrd said.

Industry experts are also raving about the technology. In June 2011, NanoLumens received the Breakthrough Technology of the Year award at the TechAmerica Foundation American Technology Awards for its 112-inch display, which weighs 90 pounds (41 kg). The display is less than an inch thick, and consumes less energy than five light bulbs. In 2010, the Wall Street Journal Innovation Awards presented NanoLumens with the runner-up honors in the Consumer Electronics category.

The company is not content to sit on its laurels; its team, which combined hold more than 200 patents in display technologies, is developing more state-of-the-art products.

“We are launching three new product lines this fall to address other growing sectors of the display industry,” Byrd said. “All will feature our characteristic thin, lightweight and energy efficient display technology.”

The key to flexible display technology is its ability to be used in virtually limitless settings, and NanoLumens sees all sorts of possibilities for its products.

“NanoLumens’ target markets include public digital displays and out-of-home advertising for locations such as malls, stadiums, arenas, airports, underground or waterway transit authorities, trade shows and live events, commercial lobbies, museums, theme parks, hotels and casinos etc.,” Byrd said.

All in all, NanoLumens sees great potential for the flexible display market.

“The out-of-home display market is growing rapidly,” Byrd concluded. “We fully expect flexible displays to be a part of that growth and are excited about the role NanoLumens is playing to shape the future.”