The world of OLED is looking pretty groovy. OLEDs are organic light emitting diodes. To you and me that means really thin, easy to use, low energy, cheap, light sources. And now they can be printed out on a roll, like a newspaper. The possibilities for this stuff are fabulous. Imagine a wallpaper that glows. With ads that can change. Where would you put that? Yes, pretty much anywhere.

Researchers at GE have come up with the latest production developments.

University researchers have developed an interface between a mobile camera phone, Bluetooth and a video display. It allows the user to control the cursor on the screen. A crude prototype at the moment, but it has great promise if you imagine a crowd in a bar or an event or on the high street playing games via a large video display or projection. Turn your phone into a Wii-style remote!

The system was developed by three guys at British universities. Nick Pears researches Computer Vision, Pattern Recognition and Robotics in the Advanced Computer Architectures Group at York University whilst Patrick Oliver and Dan Jackson are at Newcastle University.

Using a display on their trolleys, shoppers in a test in the US will be able to find the products they need and pay for them. The system comes from Microsoft in collaboration with Media Cart.

And of course, by knowing where the trolley is travelling around the store, relevant ads can be placed just as the consumer is passing the right spot. The east coast ShopRite supermarket chain will get the test this summer.

Scott Ferris, general manager of the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group at Microsoft, tells us:

“Digital advertising opportunities are expanding rapidly into new areas, as many of consumers’ daily activities, such as shopping, become increasingly ‘connected,’ and Microsoft is committed to working with advertisers and agencies to take advantage of these opportunities as they unfold.”

The shopper will get promotions based on location within the store but that’s the least of it. The whole thing works with loyalty cards, so the store will also deliver suggested shopping lists and promotions based on previous habits. Expect more crashed trolleys and tumbling displays of tall canned goods pyramids as shoppers no longer look where they are going in your local supermarket.