[CEATEC 2015] Most of the time, we would associate modern day displays in just one form factor – a rectangular shape that more or less serves its function well. After all, the more fancy designs, such as a fully round display like those found on smartwatches in the vein of the Moto 360 happen to be in the realm of the fancy, right? Sharp begs to differ, and thinks that there is plenty of room for improvement where free form displays are concerned, taking into consideration the kind of work that they had already done in the previous year.
For instance, the 3″ free form display (FFD) dial that you see in the gallery above is a fusion of both analog and digital design, where the screen itself might not be touchscreen in nature, but it has a Dial UI which you can twist as a knob to go to the correct option. This particlar FFD is ideal for the center console and perhaps even a shift knob.
As for the 3″ circular FFD, it is more suitable for a meter and center console use, arriving in a seamless circular shape. The Type C FFD measures 12.3″ across diagonally in a trapezoid form factor, and is suitable for the center console and panel gauges in vehicles. The other two kinds are the Type B and Type A FFDs, which measure 12.3″ and 12.2″ across respectively, making them useful for center console usage as well. It does not need to be said that these are meant for action in vehicles.
The big question now is this – when will we be able to see these Sharp FFDs make their way to an actual production vehicle? We hope that the answer would lie somewhere sooner rather than later.
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