E-paper headed for emergency announcements

One of the buzzwords gaining ground recently with the popularity of Amazon’s Kindle E-Reader has been e-paper – or electronic paper; which is basically a computer monitor the thickness of paper (well almost) that is used to display information as you would find in printed media. It appears that the Japanese are looking at using this e-paper technology as a way to constantly update emergency information in public places that otherwise couldn’t be done.

The test was conducted by Toppan Printing Co. along with the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on January 23, in the area around Toshima Ward Office. The experiment of displaying local disaster information on electronic papers was conducted by establishing a wireless communications network centered on an emergency center built inside of Toshima Life and Industry Plaza

The aim of the test was to prove the effectiveness of the system as evacuation guidance for people who might not be able to return home in the event of a disaster.

The electronic papers were installed at two locations, one in the lobby on the first floor of Toshima Post Office and the other at the Higashi-Ikebukuro 2-chome bus stop on the metropolitan bus line.

A piece of electronic paper measuring approximately 1 x 3.2m was installed in Toshima Post Office. The paper features 240 x 768 pixels with a pixel pitch of 4mm. This paper was made by arranging 48 x 96-pixel electronic papers in five vertical rows and eight horizontal rows. The power consumption is about 24W.

Source: TechOn

I gotta admit this is a really interesting use of the technology and one that could potentially save a lot of lives if used right in the times of emergencies.