Iridescence has been a nuisance for engineers trying to mimic the birds' unique color mechanism to make high-resolution, reflective, color display screens, according to the University of Michigan.
But now, researchers at the university have found a way to lock in so-called structural color, which is made with texture rather than chemicals.
The new research could lead to advanced color e-books and electronic paper, as well as other color reflective screens that don't need their own light to be readable. Reflective displays consume much less power than their backlit cousins in laptops, tablet computers, smartphones and TVs. The technology could also enable leaps in data storage and cryptography. Documents could be marked invisibly to prevent counterfeiting.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
