There are storage solutions that can make your appliance disappear, and then there's a household staple that can disappear by itself - with a wave of a hand.
Say hello to Panasonic's transparent TV set - the kind that can disappear when you gesture at it or not use it for a length of time. The experimental innovation was on display at the CES 2016 event, drawing "never-ending crowds" round it, Tom's Guide noted.
"The screen was a thin LCD panel with adjustable dimensions," the online portal observed. "For the demo, Panasonic draped it across two living room shelves, then showed a variety of videos, music and artwork, each one of which looked exquisitely gorgeous."
"The widescreen television was housed in a bookcase and allowed you to make the screen temporarily translucent, letting you see the items (vinyl record covers, sculptures, vases, etc.) on the shelf behind it," Mashable noted. "In addition to the almost translucent display, the television also features a gesture-controlled music app that lets you spin a carousel of your digital music over half of the display while the other half continues to give you a see-through view behind the display."
Interestingly, the TV screen is capable of rendering videos or stills in HD quality in true opaque fashion. But when turned off, it appears totally transparent.
Will this innovation make Samsung and other leading TV set makers shake in their boots?
Unfortunately, though, as mentioned, Panasonic's transparent monitor is still at an experimental stage, with the company still unprepared to mass produce the product and sell it to the public. However, according to a representative, if indeed this TV monitor does get to the market, it's hoped to happen in about 2-5 years from now, Tom's Guide said.
No price range or cost was mentioned.
Further, the transparent screen's maker "wants users to use motion control to control the TV," although it has its own remote control.
Invisible TV has been the stuff of science fiction, with a number of films of the same theme showcasing monitors that are transparent and, at the same time, interactive. This technology has not yet been translated to reality. However, Panasonic's prototype appears to be the first one to simulate such an innovation.
Will other tech firms follow suit and release their own invisible TVs? Will other manufacturers manage to present an even cooler version in the near future? What do you think?
Sound off in the comments below and be heard!
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