Tomasz Wadowski
Transparent OLED screen in platform doors? Sounds like science fiction, but it's already a reality – and it's at the Yeouido subway station in Seoul. LG Display has just installed 32 Transparent OLED panels, becoming the first company in the world to introduce such technology in urban public transport. And the effect? Out of this world.
Map of the metro, announcements and ads – now on one screen!
The new panels are not just a gadget – they are a functional machine. They display a new, refreshed after 40 years metro map, show real-time info about services, safety warnings, and even evacuation instructions. Instead of staring at the ceiling or bumping into a column with a poster – passengers see everything here and now, looking at the transparent doors.
Something more than just glass. Transparent OLED can actually change something
Traditional glass in platform doors has one task: to give you a view of the approaching train. Transparent OLED does the same – but in the process turns dead space into an interactive screen. It’s lightweight, thin, and so transparent that it can easily replace regular glass. And on top of that – it functions as a digital notice board, map, and billboard all in one.
Let’s be honest – classic posters in the subway have long since stopped influencing us. But dynamic images on transparent doors? Catches the eye, and literally so. LG opens up new possibilities for advertisers – and it doesn’t even require additional space. Technology thrives where there was previously emptiness.
Seoul, China, Japan… and beyond?
Although Yeouido takes the title of "the world's first," the Transparent OLED from LG Display had already appeared earlier in trains GTX-A in Korea, as well as in the metro systems of Beijing, Shenzhen, Canton, Chongqing, and JR East trains in Japan. Everywhere it goes, it offers the same: a sense of space, clarity, and an informational boost.
Automotive? Aviation? Retail? Architecture? The Transparent OLED starts in the metro but has ambitions to change the way we perceive dead spaces – literally it could be the most important design element.
In summary: LG's Transparent OLED is a solid step into the future of urban transport. We see more, we know more – and all without losing clarity.
