E Ink Unveils DAZZLE at San Diego International Airport

E Ink Holdings, Ueberall International and the San Diego International Airport unveiled DAZZLE, a public artwork featuring the largest deployment of E Ink’s Prism technology.
 
Located at the San Diego International Airport’s new Rental Car Center, DAZZLE is designed to enhance visitors’ experience through the installment of more than 2,000 individual tiles that display custom, dynamic animations across the exterior of the building. The autonomous, solar-powered tiles use E Ink Prism, similar to the technology found in e-readers, but adapted for an architectural scale.
 
DAZZLE transforms the 1,600-foot long façade of the new airport Rental Car Center into an interactive landmark mural, which will be viewed daily by hundreds of thousands of airport visitors, motorists on the Interstate 5 Freeway and Pacific Coast Highway, and public transit users.
 
Ueberall International designed the site-specific artwork with inspiration from Norman Wilkinson’s “razzle dazzle” camouflage technique used during World War I in the waters of San Diego to alter the perception of ships to the enemy by visually scrambling their shapes and outlines.
 
“Our artist approach for DAZZLE was inspired by the historic form of ship camouflage, but our breakthrough came with the idea of applying e-Paper technology to the façade. We knew that E Ink technology was the perfect partner to help us achieve our design, given its flexible and extremely durable properties,” said Nik Hafermaas, co-founder of Ueberall International and principal project artist.
 
The physical components of DAZZLE include e-Paper tiles, wireless transmitters and a host computer. Each tile is integrated with a solar cell for power, electronics for operation and wireless communication to create each unique animation developed by the artists.
 
Unlike competing technologies, E Ink Prism does not emit light, but reflects ambient light. E Ink Prism also showcases the following features:
 
• Fully programmable – gives content providers and designers greater creative freedom.
• Fully reflective – provides a print or paint-like appearance and a natural visual experience.
• Low power consumption – requires ultra-low power only during a visual change with no electrical outlets required.
• Rugged and customizable – can be sized to be compatible with most configurations, patterns, and materials.
• Color – E Ink Prism is available in seven colors, providing designers with greater creative freedom.

“This is the first large-scale deployment of E Ink’s Prism technology that will be accessible to the public view,” said Paul Apen, chief strategy officer at E Ink. “DAZZLE is the perfect example of how E Ink’s Prism can deliver a completely new and dynamic one-of-a-kind experience, transforming a once static space into something dynamic and spectacular.”