Scientists develop sun-friendly glass for cell-phones, tablets

Trying to use a gadget in sunlight is one big, squinty pain, but scientists have developed a display that could end the eye ache and let you enjoy your device al fresco.

Screens on smartphones and tablets may be easy on the eye when they come out of the box, but take them outside and they’re almost useless. Those glass fascias just love to reflect sunlight and obscure your view.

Some have tried to combat this with anti-glare filters or films, and some companies apply special coatings, though none has really managed to solve the issue.

But lab boffins at the Institute of Photonic Sciences along with Gorilla Glass manufacturer Corning have come up with a novel idea using a special glass that will reduce glare and reflection.

The team essentially roughened a glass surface so it could scatter light and deflect glare without affecting its transparency. Nano-sized “teeth” were then etched into the surface to make it anti-reflective.

As well as having light-battling properties, the textured surface repels water by mimicking similar traits of a lotus leaf.

The process is believed to be inexpensive to manufacture and can be developed on larger scales for devices such as televisions.