New issue of ASU Magazine looks at flexible display technology

The September 2013 issue of ASU Magazine features a cover story that chronicles efforts by university researchers to create ultra-thin, portable, flexible displays that ultimately may have an impact on military battlefields, as well as in fields as diverse as health care and homeland security.

The cover story, “The future is flexible,” discusses work done by ASU’s Flexible Electronics and Display Center, which has pioneered development of displays and other visual technologies that will be able to be wrapped around a variety of surfaces. ASU established the center by winning a grant from the U.S. Army beginning in 2004, but future applications for flexible displays extend well past military operations. Other potential commercial applications discussed in the article include “smart” bandages that can monitor wound healing and sophisticated monitoring devices on oil/gas pipelines or bridge supports that can give up-to-the-minute information on the condition of these crucial pieces of infrastructure.

The issue also includes two other feature sections. One feature, titled “Ounces of prevention,” shares information about ASU’s efforts to shift health-related policy and research from a focus on treating people once they become ill to an emphasis on supporting their wellness and encouraging preventive behaviors. The other feature, “Excellence in residence,” reports on how the university has shifted its approach to housing students to produce a model that integrates their degree program with their living quarters. Under such a model, students have direct access to academic and social support, ultimately creating a more engaging, successful college experience.

In addition to these feature stories, the September edition includes a sports story on the logistics required to transport ASU’s student-athletes to their games during road trips; an arts story on ASU’s role as a leader in the emerging discipline of digital sculpture; updates on ASU’s sports teams; news and photos from alumni chapters across the country; and a full complement of alumni-focused news reports in the Class Notes section.

To view the latest edition of ASU Magazine online, visit http://magazine.asu.edu. To download a complimentary iPad application to view the magazine, visit http://magazine.asu.edu/ipad-app.