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This flexible display and integrated communication device (FDICD) technology program sought to create a family of powerful visualization technologies that would reduce the weight, volume, and power while increasing usability by integrating many of the functions of present mission equipment into a small form factor. The goals included a network comprised of a worn main computer, a hand-held or knee-worn large display system and a wrist-worn small display. The large display was to be eventually rollable to provide soldiers with a large image of at least super video graphics adapter (SVGA) color resolution when needed, but small form factor when stowed, for viewing of and team collaboration with tactical information such as battlefield maps, GIS imaging data, command/control plots, and global positioning system (GPS)-assisted navigational maps. The wrist system was to provide a readily viewable unit in situations where the larger unit cannot be deployed and without resorting to headgear, which blocks battlespace view-ability. This final phase of the program resulted in two separate wrist demonstration devices. The first device built upon the results of the first phase of the project to raise the technology readiness level (TRL) of the commercial personal digital assistant (PDA)-based unit to a level suitable for the intended military environment, including full water-immersion capability. The second device was a custom designed wrist display intended to demonstrate additional capability on the wrist, including GPS maps.

We present our work on the world's first wrist worn communication device built upon a flexible low power consumption full color AMOLED using phosphorescent materials. The device offers the wearer the ability to see high information content video rate information in a thin and rugged form factor 4-inch QVGA display, conformed around a human wrist.