rivers with poor eyesight may soon have technology in automobiles that will help them see a road’s edges or possible hazards more clearly, and shop owners may be able to display colorful images onto their store-front windows because of a projection system innovation. The system, developed by SuperImaging, Inc. (Fremont, CA), employs a specialized projector that directs invisible light onto glass that has been infused with nano- materials, which con- vert the wavelengths of invisible light into visible wavelengths, causing them to glow in every direction, creating an image. MDA originally funded SuperImaging (previously known as LS Technologies) through a 2004 Phase I SBIR contract to develop a high-performance image projector that would cre- ate simulations to test sen- sors as well as guidance, tracking, and navigation systems. Today, the company continues to fine-tune its product while pursuing commercial applications in the automotive and marketing industries. Its most devel- oped product, which it calls TransPlay™, has been licensed by General Motors. The car manufacturer took SuperImag- ing’s product and added its own software to develop a smart windshield that displays road markings similar to the pro- jected first-down yellow lines seen when watching televised football games. d Similarly, the military could use the same technology in its tanks, trucks, helicopters, and jets to help pilots and driv- ers avoid obstacles when environmental conditions create low visibility. TransPlay also has an application in directional signage, much like with GPS devices. Blinking arrows appear on the windshield, telling drivers where to turn or to go straight. While the technology has an advantage over GPS navigation aids, in that im- ages are displayed on the windshield as opposed to in a small device outside the driver’s field of vision, company officials do not anticipate the application to replace GPS products for a year or two because SuperImaging’s technology displays only in one color and without depicting the driver’s position on a map. The company believes its greatest commercial- ization potential lies in the retail signage market. Company developers envi- sion a final product that will allow shop owners, for example, to display large three-color advertise- ments, up to three meters square in size, on their store-front windows, or on display cases, such as in jewelry stores. “Companies have tremendous merchandizing expenses for their seasonal launches,” said Doug Bragdon, director of business development for SuperImaging. “If we’re a large clothing retailer and we’re coming out with a spring line or a new line of clothing, we have to send out new posters, new Tech Update Missile Defense Agency Fall 2009 www.mdatechnology.net D E P A R T M E N T O F D E F E N S E M I S S I L E D E F E N S E A G E N C Y continued on next page This article is reprinted from the MDA TechUpdate newsletter, a publication of the MDA Technology Applications program. This article does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Government; no official endorsement should be inferred. Glowing Images in Glass Projection system, nanomaterials create new driving aids, marketing tools. by Dale McGeehon/[email protected] s A visitor checks out technology by SuperImaging, Inc., which has devel- oped an application combining nanomaterials, clear glass, and a special projector. The system enables images to be emitted from glass in a 360- degree field of view.