Solchroma – Reflective Digital Displays for Smart Cities

Vivid Color

Solchroma displays are vivid, generating print-quality color.

Low Power

Solchroma displays are sustainable, consuming as little as 1% of the energy of an LED sign.

Zero Light Pollution

Solchroma displays are reflective, working with sunlight rather than against it.

Solchroma Technologies is a venture-backed company that builds full color,
reflective digital displays for the smart cities of the future.

Our Technology

Solchroma Technologies is a venture-back company that builds full color, reflective digital displays for the smart cities of the future.

We have developed a proprietary system of actuators, configured as hydraulic pumps, that move colored ink from reservoirs behind a pixel surface into separate, viewable color filter chambers. Ambient light is selectively absorbed through layered CMY color filters and reflected back to the viewer, where greyscale is achieved by varying the amount of CMY ink in view.

Our system produces a vivid, dynamic, and reflective display that does not require an internal light source and consumes only 1% of the energy of existing LED-based digital signage.

Outdoor Displays: Reflective vs. Emissive

Reflective displays provide several advantages to emissive displays, and present a softer, more natural aesthetic to the viewer.

At present, large area outdoor digital displays are almost exclusively made from LED arrays, as they are bright enough to be seen clearly in direct sunlight.

In contrast, image brightness from reflective displays like Solchroma’s are proportional to the light intensity shining on them, utilizing very little energy in direct sunlight.

This means zero light pollution is emitted in the daytime or at night, and eliminates the ‘Times Square’ or ‘Las Vegas’ look normally associated with LED displays, often at the heart of signage permitting issues.

Applications

Outdoor
Advertising

Reflective displays that deliver timely, targeted messaging in a community-friendly way.

On-Premise
Signage

On-site digital signage enables businesses, city offices, and other organizations to communicate effectively with consumers and constituents.

Architecture
and Design

Full-color digital surfaces can be used as dynamic building facades or design elements.

Our Story

Solchroma Technologies builds Sustainable Smart Surfaces, reimagining the way we view and interact with our built environment. Inspired by cuttlefish camouflage and born from DARPA origins at Harvard University, Solchroma’s patented technology enables exceptional color quality and contrast using our unique fluidic display platform. We have worked with the National Science Foundation and other leading organizations to realize our vision.