The Gyricon technology, which was invented by Nick Sheridon at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, is a reflective, bistable, wide-angle viewable display technology which is manufacturable in web format on flexible substrates. It operates by embedding tiny bichromal spheres in a sheet of plastic; each hemisphere of the sphere is colored a different color and has an opposite charge. By embedding each sphere in its own cavity filled with silicone oil, the ball is free to rotate under the presence of an electric field. Depending upon the application, this field can be introduced by a circuit board laminated to the paper, from an active matrix array, or from a printer which deposits charge on the surface of the material. It enables potential applications which range from indoor and outdoor signs, to PDA displays, to fold out displays, to rewriteable, downloadable books and newspapers. This paper will explain operations of the technology, described technical performance, and show applications including a first commercial embodiment in the field of wireless, battery operated signs for the retail market.
Robert Sprague, "The Present and Future of Gyricon Electronic Paper Displays" in Proc. IS&T Int'l Conf. on Digital Printing Technologies (NIP17), 2001, pp 519 - 522, https://doi.org/10.2352/ISSN.2169-4451.2001.17.1.art00015_2