04/21/97 A CYBERSCREEN SO TINY IT FITS ON A DIME

A CYBERSCREEN SO TINY IT FITS ON A DIME

IT WASN'T LONG AGO THAT the smallest display most manufacturers could develop measured a scant 1.5 inches diagonally. But now, even that tiny size has been chopped down.
On Apr. 7, Kopin Corp., a maker of flat-panel displays in Taunton, Mass., introduced the smallest display yet. Called CyberDisplay, the device measures a mere 0.25 in. diagonally--less than the diameter of a dime. To see the display's images, one must use an included lens and hold the display about 3- to 12-inches away from the eyes (photo). Staring into the lens produces an optical illusion: visual images that look as if they are produced by a standard 20-in. computer monitor.
Officials at Kopin say CyberDisplay's small size and low power requirements make it ideal for next-generation consumer devices--for example, a cellular phone that displays Web pages. Kopin is currently shipping demonstration units of CyberDisplay to equipment makers for $750.
EDITED BY PAUL M. ENG