Transparent Concrete Display

Utterly bizarre. What you are looking at is the world's very first display made out of concrete. It is not a screen encased in concrete. The concrete itself is transparent.

The screen consists of concrete with embedded optical fibres, arranged as pixels, capable of transmitting natural as well as artificial light. The light-admission points are on the back of the screen where the fibres are positioned. The light, or the picture, is then displayed in pixels on the front. The light source can be a projector emitting either pictures or film footage. In principle, the screen is capable of acting as a window since – owing to the combination of the screen concept's light-absorption and optical cables – it has a capacity for transmitting natural light.

There's obviously some architectural and design possibilities here, although the world needs less garish concrete buildings in it, in my book, no matter how transparent and light-reflecting they may be. My instinct is this technology will be used to build Soviet-era looking buildings without windows to house the nation's corporate office-drones, already considered overstimulated by their monkey man superiors.

Still, extremely impressive proof of concept. Video of the concrete display in action, after the jump.

First screen made of concrete [we make money not art]