Transmission Fluid
My concept for a new type of screen is a liquid substance that can display images in a manner similar to reflections appearing in water. One of my inspirations for this concept is the portrayal of scrying pools in folklore, in which individuals would gaze upon the surface of the water in order to observe events that are in another time or place. The substance would not be as thin as water but a bit thicker, maybe similar to silly putty allowing it to be stretched and shaped to allow for a customizable display of images and moving pictures.
I also thought it would be interesting if the substance was capable of conveying not only visual information but allowing for interaction with other human senses. Images could be touched and different textures and temperatures experienced, scents smelled etc. The substance could be taken further into the realm of science fiction by being used to fill virtual reality tanks in which individuals would be immersed in order to create a full sensory experience.
The substance would enable this by not only being able to display images and other sensory information but recording and storing this information. It would be able to store a variety of experiences which could be modified and edited by the user’s interaction with it in real time. The scenarios would be able to be experienced by the individual immersed but also could be recorded and viewed by others. It could also be used to record the dreams of individuals sleeping within the virtual reality tanks. This function could be used for entertainment, as a form of artistic expression, and for the purpose of dream analysis.
Data from separate sources of the substance could be mixed together or interact with each other to create pools of information and allow for the sharing of a variety of human experiences and forms of narrative expression. Since the substance serves the purpose of transmitting various kinds of information and media I was trying to come up with an appropriate name for this new kind of screen but the term “transmission fluid” was already taken.