What is a cordless projector?

Modern video projection owes much inspiration to some of the earliest projection techniques, including prehistory's shadow play and the zoopraxiscope, a device that displayed still images in rapid succession. Since then, projection technology has continued unabated on an exponential path. Modern palm-sized digital projectors, such as those utilized by illuminAid today, can display crystal clear video in bright sunlight.

In a nutshell, projectors most often acquire data by directly inserting input into the projector itself, such as with a memory card or with a computer via an HDMI cable. Though wall plug projectors are common, illuminAid uses projectors that are powered by batteries. These batteries power a high-efficiency light emitting diode (LED) that projects from microscopically small mirrors on a semiconductor chip, otherwise known as Digital Light Processing or DLP.

There are two facets of exponential growth in projector technology, which generally largely apply to a wide scope of consumer electronics technology. The first aspect is that the units of light emitted from an LED inside the projector, which is measured in lumens. has followed an increasing exponential trend. Simultaneously, there's been a decreasing exponential reduction in the cost of those lumens. This is known as Haitz's law, similar to Moore's law for semiconductors, and it reflects how technological improvements increase efficiency and reduce cost. This law's a welcome relief to the sectors of health care, higher education and real estate, where inflating costs are too often accompanied by poorer quality products and services.

Advancements in batteries also have resulted in steady capacity improvements with reductions in size and, consequently, end product weight. Lithium-ion batteries are a popular choice for a wide range of applications due to the confluence of cost, efficiency and safety. Tesla uses them to power their vehicles, but a “plateau of productivity” may have been reached for the moment. Estimates of annual battery capacity improvements are only in the 5 percent to percent range, far below the 35 percent per year lumen growth as seen in Haitz’s law. Regardless, illuminAid’s projectors are capable of emitting 1,000 lumens and can play up to four hours of video.

We are grateful for the advancements in projector technology. Without it, illuminAid may not exist at all. It allows scores of people to view informative video per viewing on virtually any wall, something otherwise unworkable if a monitor-like device was required to be lugged around. As Haitz’s law demonstrates, the cost per lumen for a community of 50 persons to watch videos on a projector has dropped drastically over the decades. Additionally, more people can now crowd around a projector as the increase in lumens, and projector technology allows projectors to be viewed farther away than ever before. Yet despite this exceptional technology and the decreasing costs, the world’s poorest, most remote communities are still often without access — eluded by both means and ability. There still exists a learning curve for making the video to be shown, for charging the batteries and otherwise best utilizing the equipment. This is why illuminAid exists. Because the cheapest, most powerful technologies alone still are insufficient to materialize positive social change where and when it’s most needed.