Embedded Privacy Is the Future of Displays

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Ahead of Display Week 2025, CEO Robert Ramsey, Ph.D. and Chief Scientist Michael Robinson, Ph.D. of Rain Technology today shared domain expert commentary and video explainers about the future for embedded privacy displays in mobile, laptops, ATM, POS, medical kiosks, and automotive in-cabin entertainment.

“As digital devices become more embedded in our daily lives, the demand for seamless, secure display experiences is accelerating — and so is innovation,” said Ramsey. “These are no longer niche features. Embedded privacy is becoming a baseline expectation, and we’re leading that transformation. People and organizations want security and control without compromising performance.”

The Market Outlook for Embedded Display Technologies

Whether for business or personal use, displays of all types are central to our everyday experience. However, the amount and type of information displayed, the types of devices themselves, the hardware technologies used to provide higher quality and more efficient images, and the situations in which these devices are used all continue to expand at an incredible rate.

This acceleration presents significant market opportunities for companies developing innovative solutions. Rain Technology scientists are experts in optics and photonics with a legacy in 3D cinema. They are radically changing the playing field for visual privacy and superior optical performance in emerging display technologies, which will transform the market by enabling the type of experiences that drive mass adoption.

Switchable Privacy: Solving Visual Hacking at the Source

With identity theft and data breaches on the rise — especially in today’s mobile and remote work environments — visual hacking is a growing concern. Traditional adhesive privacy screens offer a temporary fix, but they degrade display quality, reduce usability, and cannot be centrally managed by IT teams.

One of Rain Technology’s emerging innovations is Switchable Privacy™, a thin liquid crystal layer embedded into displays that can toggle privacy on or off, controlling the viewing angle. This capability prevents peripheral viewers from seeing sensitive content, making it ideal for fraud prevention, protecting confidential information, and ensuring personal privacy. The company has already shipped millions of units with the leading global laptop manufacturers, such as Lenovo and HP, and in point-of-sale devices.

Specific to the automotive industry, No-Driver-Distraction™, a switchable privacy solution, bridges the gap between passenger infotainment and safe driving, while meeting evolving legislative safety standards, a growing concern as the number of displays multiplies in new vehicles. Tianma is a key partner in bringing this capability to Tier 1 automotive integrators and car brands around the world.

A new and unique display design capability, Display Screen Branding™, offers off-axis brand promotion for peripheral viewers when a display is in privacy mode, with separate capabilities when the display is in sleep mode. Rain Technology is working with POS manufacturer Datecs on retail and fintech implementations.

Device, display and automotive manufacturers, enterprise IT teams, and application developers are beginning to prioritize embedded privacy features that offer both user control and enterprise-level security and control.

“Embedded privacy is fast becoming a standard feature across the connected world we live in, from handheld devices to in-vehicle displays to payment systems,” said Paul Treichler, head of sales and marketing at Rain Technology. “This advancement brings display privacy to the forefront of user experience — seamlessly built into the digital environments we rely on, whether we’re on the move, at work, or out in the world.”

The Future: Anamorphic-XR to Spur Adoption of AR and VR

Rain Technology’s innovations in optics and photonics are being adapted to define the future of AR and VR in gaming, business, medical, and military defense. Its patented approach, Anamorphic-XR™, delivers fundamentally superior capabilities to existing AR and VR optics to improve user experience, performance and comfort. It has the potential to significantly increase consumer adoption as well as time spent engaged with devices.

“AR and VR devices have been hyped for decades but have yet to realize their potential,” explained Robinson. “Anamorphic-XR represents a true leap in optical design. It solves the most persistent problems in AR and VR — brightness, weight, clarity — without adding complexity to the manufacturing process.”

Rain Technology’s Anamorphic-XR represents a crucial advancement in the evolution of AR and VR features, functionality and performance. Rising consumer interest and commercial long-term strategies from the major players will be complemented by substantial government investment in these innovations, particularly in headsets, navigation and targeting systems. This dual trajectory of technological enhancement, spurred by Anamorphic-XR, and strategic funding will propel the industry forward.

Opportunities to Capitalize on Display Innovations Today

Rain Technology’s solutions are actively being integrated across a wide range of applications:

• Smartphones and Laptops: Embedded Switchable Privacy offers peak clarity, brightness, and control between privacy and share modes. Available now to device manufacturers and Tier 1 integrators.
• POS and ATM Devices: Embedded Switchable Privacy and Display Screen Branding protect transaction privacy and support regulatory compliance while enabling the option for market branding. Available to POS and ATM terminal manufacturers, integrators and display manufacturers.
• Medical Displays: Supports HIPAA compliance and patient confidentiality across kiosks, registration desks, and mobile care. Enables privacy mode for patients and share mode for care teams. Available to medical device, kiosk and display manufacturers as a superior and cost effective alternative to static privacy screens.
• Automotive Displays: Prevents driver distraction while enhancing passenger infotainment; Display Screen Branding enables marketing and customization. Available to automotive manufacturers and their Tier 1 integrators.
• AR/VR Headsets: Anamorphic-XR improves the optical design to benefit weight, brightness and comfort. Available as a proof-of-concept for integration into next-gen wearables.