NEW YORK, April 25, 2008 – In recognition of engineering contributions that led to advanced video display applications used in today’s big screen televisions and other video projection products, ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) will designate the Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) as a historic mechanical engineering landmark. A ceremony commemorating the designation will be held on May 1 at 7:00 p.m. at the Hilton Dallas Lincoln Center, 5410 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas.
DMD is an optical micromachine that powers the most versatile display technologies in the world, ranging from pocket projectors weighing less that one pound (0.5 kg) to digital cinema projectors that can light up 70-foot (21.5 m) screens. The artifact being designated by ASME is one of the earliest usable digital micromirror devices produced.
Developed in 1987 by a team of Texas Instruments engineers and scientist, led by its inventor Larry J. Hornbeck, Ph.D., the DMD has revolutionized projection displays. Utilizing what is known today as micro-opto-electro-mechanical systems, “The DMD manipulates light digitally through the mechanical action of up to two million movable, individually controllable mircomirrors formed on a silicon-integrated chip,” as stated on the landmark plaque that will be presented to Texas Instruments, Inc.
The tilting of the mirrors, smaller than a human hair, allows a digital image to be processed from a digital signal because each pixel-like mirror can be switched on and off thousands of times a second to reflect light onto a screen.
Texas Instruments featured the DMD chip at the core of its Digital Light Processing™ projection display technology, in 1992, followed by its first commercial application as an electronic projection display in 1996.
“This is ASME’s first landmark in the area of micro-electro-mechanical concepts. What Dr. Hornbeck pioneered became the heart of MEMS (Micro-electromechanical systems) architecture. The DMD as part of that history is one of the most complex micro-machines ever built. Its design is out-of-the-box thinking, its packaging pushes state-of-the-art, and its manufacturing process took the diligence of dedicated engineers and technicians more than 15 years to perfect. It’s a remarkable story,” said Keith B. Thayer, P.E., ASME past-president.
Since its inception in 1971, ASME’s History and Heritage Program has designated nearly 250 historical mechanical engineering landmarks, heritage collections or heritage sites. Each ASME landmark represents a progressive step in the evolution of mechanical engineering and its impact on the quality of life.
Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences. ASME develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and provides lifelong learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the global engineering and technology community. ASME has more than 127,000 members worldwide.
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