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 public urban transport. And the effect? Out of this world.
Subway map, announcements, and advertisements – now on one screen!
New panels are not just a gadget – they are a functional combine. They display a new, refreshed subway map after 40 years, show real-time info about routes, safety warnings, and even evacuation instructions. Instead of staring at the ceiling or getting stuck behind a poster column – passengers see everything here and now, looking at the transparent doors.
Something more than glass. Transparent OLED can really make a difference
Traditional windows in platform doors have 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 is lightweight, thin, and so clear that it can easily replace regular glass. And on top of that – it works like a digital bulletin board, map, and billboard all in one.
Let's face it – classic posters in the subway have stopped working on us a long time ago. But a dynamic image on transparent doors? It catches the eye, and literally so. LG opens up new possibilities for advertisers – and it doesn't even require extra space. The technology lives where there was once emptiness.
Seoul, China, Japan… and beyond?
Although Yeouido takes the title of "the first in the world," Transparent OLED from LG Display has already appeared earlier in, among others, the GTX-A trains in Korea, as well as in the subways of Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chongqing, and JR East trains in Japan. Everywhere it provides the same: a sense of space, transparency, and an informational boost.
Automotive? Aviation? Retail? Architecture? Transparent OLED starts in the subway but has ambitions to change the way we perceive dead spaces – it could literally be the most important element of design.
In summary: LG's Transparent OLED is a solid step into the future of urban transportation. We see more, we know more – and all without losing transparency.
