Shin-Tson Wu remains quiet whenever someone pulls out a smartphone or turns on a tablet. He’s too humble to mention that he helped invent the screens they’re viewing. The technology used for the LCD screen is among an astonishing number of patents issued for Wu’s inventions — 96 at last count. In 2014, he was one of six inaugural honorees into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, alongside Thomas Edison and the father of air conditioning, John Gorrie.
You might wonder why Wu isn’t spending his days on top of a mountain, with a view of an ocean and of all that he has influenced. The answer is, he’s already been there. He chose to leave a distinguished career with Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California, 22 years ago. He left the prestige, the commanding mountain views, and the potential for wealth, and he reset his focus at UCF.
“My main priority is not myself,” says Wu, who was honored with UCF’s Excellence in Research award earlier this year. “It’s OK to see others profit from my research. A rich life to me is not just about money. It’s helping others have better lives.”
Wu says this from a modest office in CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics. His windows since 2001 have looked over slivers of UCF’s campus: Gemini Drive and a parking garage, among them.
“Here, let’s go to the lab,” Wu says. “Seeing is a much better way to understand.”
“A rich life to me is not just about money. It’s helping others have better lives.” — Shin-Tson Wu, Trustee Chair Professor
The trustee chair professor, this modern-day Edison, enthusiastically leads the way to a lab that appears dim. Various scopes and tools sit organized on two tables. Blue light could damage the tools, which is why the lab looks yellowish. Wu’s visitor starts to ask about the scopes.
“Those are not the interesting pieces,” Wu says politely. “This is.”
He holds up the tiniest screen you’ve ever seen, about the size of a pinky nail. Wu and his group of student researchers moved on years ago from the original LCD technology that changed the way we view screens.
“My patent for that is old news,” he says, without a hint of ego. “It is being used everywhere now. In here we’re looking to the future with the use of liquid-crystal-on-silicon [LCoS].”
To help his visitor also see the future, Wu asks a doctoral student, Tim Yang ’22MS, to position a set of AR goggles over the eyes. Vivid digital images appear over the actual field of vision — specifically, chameleons ride bicycles in front of Wu. This demonstration of augmented reality provides a glimpse of the next possible applications of liquid-crystal-on-silicon, with detailed images projected from a microdisplay. Wu explains what he envisions.
“People in the military could use this to see a commanding officer giving instructions over real-life situations,” Wu says. “By making this very small, it could be integrated into something less bulky, like sunglasses. Eventually, consumers could use it to see information about points of interest when traveling, without looking at a phone. But those examples are just a start.”
He explains how this iteration of liquid-crystal-on-silicon could be applied to healthcare through digital “twinning.” For example, when a patient goes in for tests like bloodwork, an EKG, or an MRI, the results would be imported into the patient’s digital twin. The twin could then be a personal health coach for the patient, knowing precisely how to overcome an ailment and live a better daily life. It could also be a personal trainer for athletes, giving instructions on strides, arm motion, and workouts. The twin would always be on-call, available by simply putting the glasses on.
“It can also be useful for doctors,” Wu says. “A surgeon can practice a delicate procedure on a digital twin, a hundred times if necessary, before performing it for real. There would be fewer complications.”
Wu points to a second headset on the table. Another optics and photonics doctoral student, Alex Yang (no relation to Tim), helps the visitor put it on, with a controller in each hand. The headset takes the visitor into immersive virtual reality, with a menu of videos to click. But there’s something more interesting here than the type of virtual reality experience familiar with gamers and drone users.
“We use quantum dots to make the view very vivid,” Wu says. “Our group of students started the research on this in 2014. They’ve since taken what they learned here at UCF and are using it in the industry.”
“The best companies love our students,” Wu says. “That makes me most proud. My students are now making beneficial impacts for people around the world.”
The goggles used for this demonstration, in fact, were developed by UCF graduates now working for Meta. Eight of Wu’s former students work there and 15 are at Apple. Some are managers and directors.
“The best companies love our students,” Wu says. “That makes me most proud. My students are now making beneficial impacts for people around the world.”
The doctoral students in the room reflect Wu’s positive energy. This summer, Tim Yang will start an internship with Apple and Alex Yang will start an internship with Meta.
“Our dream companies,” says Tim, who is working toward his Ph.D. in optics and photonics after earning master’s degrees from UCF and the University of Rochester. “I came to UCF because there is no other professor who can integrate Dr. Wu’s type of experience in academics and industry.”
When asked if he’s an educator or inventor, Wu does not hesitate. “Both,” he says. But one question still looms with no obvious answer: Why did he leave a leading-edge lab on a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean to start an academic career across the country, at ground level?
“I came to UCF because there is no other professor who can integrate Dr. Wu’s type of experience in academics and industry.” — Tim Yang ’22MS, UCF alum and student
“I worked in a very scenic place when I was with Hughes,” Wu says. “My Ph.D. thesis advisor from USC (University of Southern California), Michael Bass and two others from his team (MJ Soileau and Eric Van Stryland) had come to UCF to establish CREOL. They offered me a faculty position, but I liked where I was. During my daily Bible devotion one morning, I read a verse in Deuteronomy: ‘You have stayed long enough on this mountain.’ The verse touched me. My wife and I decided to make the move and glorify God. I’m glad we did. The greatest reward for me is not wealth. It’s sending students out to make the world better.”
He puts down the tiny screen next to the goggles. Tim and Alex watch, eager to get back to their work.
“Now you know our story,” Wu says to the visitor, “because you have seen it with your own eyes.”
