We've seen some wild "moonshot" projects out of Google throughout the years. You know, Google Glass, self-driving cars and the like. Well, we can now add one more wacky idea to the list. The internet giant is reportedly trying to figure out how to create a large modular display made up of many smaller displays. The Voltron of screens, if you will.
The scoop comes from the Wall Street Journal, which describes the project as being "at an early stage." The Google X team's aim is to create a modular display technology where smaller pieces fit into a larger-screen puzzle. This meta-display could be created in various shapes and sizes.
The problem the team is trying to solve? Not just to combine these displays, but to combine them in a way where they don't have any visible seams. A WSJ source says that "the big challenge is to electronically, and through software, do the stitching between the seams."
Sounds pretty far-fetched, no? On the other hand, though, "far-fetched" is the foundation that Google X labs are built on.
The biggest question: why? Perhaps Google is envisioning a household where each family member's tablet is spliced together when it's time to sit around the TV? Or maybe teachers could somehow integrate the displays into a classroom? None of these examples conjure images of something worth pursuing, so it isn't quite clear why Google would be bothering with the idea (apart from "why not?").
The report is pretty light on further details. Given the project's reported early-stage status, it could ultimately be a moonshot that doesn't make it out of Mountain View's atmosphere. If nothing else, it's enough to raise some eyebrows.
Source: WSJ
