Samsung is mostly known for its fleet of Samsung TVs and Galaxy phones, but it looks like the manufacturer is also developing something quite different: windows that can emit their own light, with the option to control the color temperature, brightness, and even the angle of the light.
As reported by UberGizmo, Samsung is moving ahead with five new startup ideas developed by in-house employees, as part of the company's C-Labs development program.
While other hypothetical products include a CGI editing program, a 'smart highlighter', and a sensor that "records daily UV exposure", the most interesting idea that we've seen is certainly the SunnyFive window.
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What is the SunnyFive window? In a blog post, Samsung described it as "A window-shaped lighting device that produces artificial sunlight, allowing the user to enjoy the full spectrum of light produced by the sun’s natural passage through the sky during the day."
It added that the device "Helps users synthesize vitamin D while they are indoors or in low-lit places without having to worry about skin aging or sunburn, and allows for brightness and color adjustment via the app."
It's common, especially in packed cities, to find yourself without a natural source of light in your home, and being able to install 'windows' that let in something equivalent to sunlight, rather than regular ceiling bulbs, sounds like an appealing idea.
The use of UV light that provides vitamin D could also help to improve the health of those stuck in indoors environments, either at home or in the workplace, and help people with seasonal affective disorder, or whose mood is affected by a lack of natural light.
The push for TV display innovation
What's perhaps most interesting about this display tech are the potential applications for Samsung TVs. Major TV brands are looking for new ways to integrate televisions seamlessly with your home, whether that's LG's rollable OLED or the Samsung The Frame TV, which acts like a large picture frame when not in use.
With transparent TV displays that double as windows also at the prototype stage, we could imagine a Samsung TV that was able to switch between showing famous artworks, Netflix shows, and even sunlight at the press of a button – and the future points to a huge amount of choice for viewers as to how these sets are used in the home.
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