Chris Chinnock interviews Ted Sun of Sun Innovations at Vehicle Display Interface (VDI) 2026, covering a transparent, phosphor-based projection display technology that’s been in development for about 15 years:

Core technology

• A nanophosphor-based emissive film that can be applied to virtually any glass, black surface, or tinted film without affecting the underlying material’s clarity or look.
• Extremely transparent: over 90% transparent without an anti-reflective coating, approaching 99% with one; haze is kept under 1% — described as looking essentially like plain glass.
• Uses a blue-light laser projector (not UV) to excite the phosphor film, producing an emissive image.
• The phosphor is wavelength-selective — it only responds to the specific laser wavelength used, so it doesn’t react to (and isn’t affected by) ambient light, and the projected image is fully blocked/invisible unless viewed through the correct film.
• Color purity: the phosphors have a very narrow full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) emission — about 30nm generally, and as narrow as 5nm for a rare-earth-based red phosphor, giving very high-purity red color. Green is currently the weakest color (FWHM 50–60nm, less saturated/vibrant), an area the company is actively improving using materials like perovskites and quantum dots.

Demonstrated applications

• Full-color RGB projection directly onto glass or onto a tinted film applied to glass (e.g., for vehicle windows).
• Applying the same emissive film onto a black surface significantly improves image contrast, giving an OLED-like image quality while retaining the flexibility benefits of a projection-based system.
• A sprayable liquid version of the nanophosphor material exists for curved surfaces, offering additional installation flexibility as a clear overcoat.
• The film supports both front and rear projection configurations, and rear-projected images can be viewed from the reverse side of the glass.
• Because the material’s emission is highly Lambertian (diffuse in all directions), the projector can be mounted at virtually any angle — only keystone correction is needed — opening possibilities like a single projector combined with driver eye-tracking to redirect the image dynamically to wherever the driver’s eyes are.

Automotive use case and business status

• Suggested application: replacing flat-panel displays (e.g., center console) with this adaptable film, which can be cut to any size or shape.
• Currently in development engagements with automakers in Asia (described as more eager/receptive), as well as some American and European car companies.

Non-automotive application — “Glow Pointer”

• The same film technology can be applied to standard flat-panel TVs (up to 100 inches) to enable safe laser-pointer interaction, similar to a projection screen — something not normally possible with LCD/OLED panels, where a laser pointer could damage the display.
• Sold as a complete kit under the product name Glow Pointer (glowpointer.com), which includes a matched blue laser pointer with each screen order, producing a secure, visible laser spot without risk of panel damage.