# Product Display Installations at IFA 2026: Transparent Screens, Anamorphic 3D and Flip Matrices > At IFA 2026 in Berlin, appliance brands used installations that put screen content and the real product in the same view: transparent OLED and LED screens in front of appliances, anamorphic 3D corner screens, a flip display matrix and a model house controlled from a tablet. MLABART's IFA 2026 projects for TCL, Midea, Siemens, Dreame and Anker show how each works. **Published:** 2026-10-23 - **By:** MLABART ## What did product display installations look like at IFA 2026? IFA 2026 ran from September 4 to 8 at the Messe Berlin exhibition grounds under the theme "The future is now"; the organisers reported 240,000 visitors from 155 countries and more than 2,000 exhibitors. On appliance stands, the hard part is that the product itself is a white or black box: a refrigerator, a washing machine or an air conditioner does not show what it does. The installations below each solve that by putting moving content and the physical product in the same view. MLABART worked on IFA 2026 projects for five brands, and this guide uses them as examples: - TCL: transparent OLED screens in front of a refrigerator display window and on a laundry tower, plus AI picture and AI sound comparisons switched from a tablet. - Midea: a transparent LED screen that lifts above an R290 air conditioner, and two anamorphic 3D corner screens for a dishwasher and the SPACE MASTER refrigerator. - Siemens: a flip display matrix under the line "Every cup crafted 100 % to your taste", and a room of letter panels around an oven. - Dreame: a transparent touchscreen in front of a robot vacuum. - Anker: a model house for the MindBase home hub, with a tablet and a see-through display panel. - [Case: TCL at IFA 2026 Berlin -- games and transparent OLED appliance demos](https://mlabart.com/work/tcl-ifa-berlin-2026/) - [Case: Midea at IFA 2026 Berlin -- anamorphic 3D, lifting transparent LED screen and football challenge](https://mlabart.com/work/midea-ifa-berlin-2026/) ## How does a transparent screen in front of a product work? General principle: a transparent display sits between the visitor and the product, so graphics appear to float on or around the real object. There are two common kinds. In a transparent OLED, each pixel makes its own light and black pixels stay see-through, so dark areas of the content show the product behind. A transparent LED screen is built from rows of LEDs with gaps between them; the gaps let the view through, and it is usually brighter and built in larger, modular sizes, with coarser pixels than OLED. Either way, three things decide whether it works: the product needs its own light, because a dark object behind a bright screen disappears; the content needs empty space, so graphics frame the product rather than cover it; and placement has to assume where visitors stand and how tall they are. - ![General-principle side view of a transparent screen in front of a real product: a visitor looks through a transparent display with a content layer toward a lit product. Points: transparent OLED stays see-through where pixels are black and transparent LED between its LED strips; the product needs its own light; content should leave room so the real product shows; placement is designed for the visitor's eye line.](https://mlabart.com/insights/ifa-2026-product-display-installations/transparent-screen-over-product.svg) ## TCL: transparent OLED on a refrigerator window and a laundry tower In the Inspire Your Comfort zone of TCL's booth in Hall 21A, the TwinMag Prime Fresh refrigerator wall has a display window with a steak and a lobster behind glass. A transparent OLED screen sits in front of that window, so product graphics appear over the real food; photographs show it at different positions along the window, with a tablet podium in front. On the SUPER DRUM stage, which TCL's announcement links to its AI SuperDrum Laundry Tower, an AI Laundry Care tower carries a transparent screen showing garments, with a tablet built into the tower. In both cases the transparent screen explains what is inside or what the machine does without hiding the product. - ![A transparent OLED screen in the middle of the TwinMag Prime Fresh display window at the TCL booth, IFA 2026, its graphics floating between a steak and a lobster behind the glass.](https://mlabart.com/cases/tcl-ifa-berlin-2026/02.jpg) - ![The SUPER DRUM washing-machine stage at the TCL booth, IFA 2026: an AI Laundry Care tower with a transparent screen showing a garment and a tablet built into the tower.](https://mlabart.com/cases/tcl-ifa-berlin-2026/04.jpg) ## Dreame: a transparent touchscreen in front of a robot vacuum For Dreame, a robot vacuum stands behind a tall transparent touchscreen. The screen opens on "Every edge. Every corner. Truly clean." with three buttons -- 01 Vacuuming Mode, 02 Mopping Mode and 03 Combo Mode -- and touching Combo Mode moves the screen on to that mode. Purple circles mark the parts that matter -- the side brush and the mop -- directly over the real machine, with lines such as Combo Mode, +12cm Side Brush UltraExtend, +18cm Mop Extension and "Super-cover, Super-discover". The same idea as TCL's refrigerator window, at a smaller scale: the visitor sees the actual product, and the screen points at the feature being described instead of showing a rendering of it somewhere else. - [MLABART video -- Dreame at IFA: transparent touchscreen product experience](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yMqvZiVUDEM) - ![Three frames from MLABART's video of the Dreame transparent touchscreen at IFA 2026: a robot vacuum seen through the screen under the line Every edge. Every corner. Truly clean., with buttons for Vacuuming, Mopping and Combo Mode; then purple circles marking its side brush and mop with the lines Combo Mode, +12cm, 0% and +18cm; then Super-cover, Super-discover.](https://mlabart.com/insights/ifa-2026-product-display-installations/dreame-transparent-screen.jpg) ## Midea: a lifting transparent LED screen and anamorphic 3D corners In the Air Treatment zone of Midea's booth in Hall 5.1, a transparent LED box hangs above a Midea R290 outdoor unit on motorised cables. Lowered, its content sits around the product; raised, it reveals the unit and shows lines such as R290 Split AC. The movement adds a second reveal to the transparency: the screen first wraps the product, then gets out of its way. Two L-shaped corner LED screens carry anamorphic 3D content. General principle: the image is drawn in forced perspective for one viewing area, across the two faces of the corner, so the picture appears to have depth or to come out of the frame. Above the dishwasher, the machine's components separate and plates appear to burst toward the aisle; on the SPACE MASTER screen, a deep recess opens in the wall to illustrate Midea's "more capacity within the same size". - [MLABART video -- Midea: motorised transparent screen product showcase](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ddCDIP79pII) - [Related: Naked-eye 3D billboards and screens](https://mlabart.com/solutions/naked-eye-3d-billboards/) - ![The transparent LED box raised above a Midea R290 outdoor unit at IFA 2026, showing R290 Split AC on its front.](https://mlabart.com/cases/midea-ifa-berlin-2026/08.jpg) - ![An anamorphic 3D corner LED screen at the Midea booth, IFA 2026, with stacked plates, a dish rack and a panel appearing to burst out of the frame above a dishwasher.](https://mlabart.com/cases/midea-ifa-berlin-2026/01.jpg) ## Siemens: a flip display matrix Under the line "Every cup crafted 100 % to your taste" (Jede Tasse zu 100 % nach deinem Geschmack), Siemens showed a wall made of square tiles. In MLABART's footage the wall shows a woman drinking coffee, then a coffee machine, then the number 100; between pictures the tiles tilt one by one, so the change itself becomes part of the show. General principle: in a flip display matrix every tile carries one piece of the picture and turns on its own pivot, driven by an actuator, while a controller sets each tile's angle and timing. Common builds use small screens on motorised pivots, or printed tiles that turn to a different face. How this matrix is driven, and its tile count and size, are not stated here. - [MLABART video -- Siemens flip display matrix at IFA](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OoPrkDdDkDo) - ![Three frames from MLABART's video of the Siemens flip display matrix at IFA 2026, under the line Every cup crafted 100 % to your taste: tiles mid-turn between pictures, a coffee machine, and the number 100.](https://mlabart.com/insights/ifa-2026-product-display-installations/siemens-flip-matrix.jpg) - ![General-principle diagram of a flip display matrix: a wall of tiles changing from an old picture to a new one in a wave of tiles mid-turn; one tile shown with its pivot and actuator. Points: each tile shows one piece of the picture, turns on its own pivot under a controller, changes in a pattern, and is commonly built as a small screen on a motorised pivot or a printed tile that turns to a different face.](https://mlabart.com/insights/ifa-2026-product-display-installations/flip-matrix-how-it-works.svg) ## Siemens: a room of letter panels around an oven A second Siemens installation surrounds an oven with hanging square panels in a turquoise room, with dark squares repeated across the floor. Lines such as "Alle Gerichte per Fingertipp" and "Perfekt gegart" run across the panels; letters from A to Z appear one per panel and then spell ROAST. The oven stays in the middle while the words around it change, so the product never leaves the frame. - [MLABART video -- Siemens at IFA Berlin: visual art installation](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jOz-DoNoU_8) - ![Three frames from MLABART's video of a Siemens installation at IFA 2026: hanging square panels around an oven in a turquoise room, first carrying the line Alle Gerichte per Fingertipp, then the letters A to Z, then spelling ROAST.](https://mlabart.com/insights/ifa-2026-product-display-installations/siemens-letter-panels.jpg) ## Anker: a model house for a home hub Anker launched MindBase at IFA 2026, describing it as a local AI hub that connects the devices in a home. A home hub is hard to show, so the stand used a white two-storey model house. Behind it, a see-through display panel shows readings such as Battery and Input, and a Peak Hours price curve; the walls and roof of the model change colour zone by zone, including a heat-map style view. A tablet in front invites visitors to touch the screen and step through the story, and the counter reads "All home devices. One local ... A seamless experience." The footage does not show whether the colour on the house comes from projection or from light built into the model, so it is not described as projection mapping here. - [MLABART video -- Anker MindBase smart-home interaction at IFA](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YwAH8WkpBaA) - ![Three frames from MLABART's video of the Anker MindBase model at IFA 2026: a white model house lit in colour zones with Battery and Input readings on a see-through panel behind it; a hand on the tablet in front; and the house in heat-map colours under a Peak Hours price curve.](https://mlabart.com/insights/ifa-2026-product-display-installations/anker-mindbase-model.jpg) ## AI on/off comparisons: let visitors judge for themselves Some product claims cannot be shown with a transparent screen because they are about processing. TCL's AI Picture wall (TSR AiPQ Processor, "Greatly Improved Clarity from 2K to 4K") and AI Sound wall (Super AI Surround Sound) use a simpler device: the visitor switches the AI processing on and off from a tablet and compares the result on the same screen. General principle: a fair A/B demo keeps everything else identical -- the same content, the same screen or speaker, the same position -- and changes one thing at the visitor's command. That turns a claim the visitor would otherwise have to take on trust into something they check themselves. - ![The AI Sound and AI Picture demo walls at the TCL booth, IFA 2026, side by side: Super AI Surround Sound on one TV and the TSR AiPQ Processor on the other.](https://mlabart.com/cases/tcl-ifa-berlin-2026/09.jpg) ## What to plan before building a product display installation These points apply to any installation that combines content with a physical product: - Start from the product claim: decide which feature the visitor must understand, then choose transparency, 3D, movement or an A/B switch to show it. - Light the product: a transparent screen only works if the object behind it is lit; plan product lighting with the screen brightness. - Make content for the product's exact position: graphics are drawn around the real object, so the product, its height and the screen position are fixed early. - Viewing area: anamorphic 3D and transparent overlays work best from a known zone; mark or design the aisle so visitors stand there. - Moving parts: lifting screens and flip matrices need clearance, a safe stop and a plan for running all day for several show days. - Control: a tablet or touch trigger lets visitors drive the story; decide what plays when no one is touching it. - Build and test before the show: content, timing and calibration are easier to settle before shipping than on a trade-show floor during build-up. - [Related: Projection mapping vs LED screens](https://mlabart.com/insights/projection-mapping-vs-led-screens/) - [Related: How to plan a product launch reveal](https://mlabart.com/insights/product-launch-reveal-planning/) ## Sources Show dates and figures are from IFA Berlin; booth zones and product names are from the brands' own announcements. Descriptions of each installation come from MLABART's own photographs and videos. Technical explanations marked as general principle describe common practice, not the specification of a particular build. - [IFA Berlin press release, 12 May 2026 -- IFA 2026, 4-8 September, theme "The future is now"](https://drive.ifa-berlin.com/drive/2026/05/IFA%20Berlin_IFA%202026_Visitor%20tickets%20available%20now_Press%20Release_EN.pdf) - [IFA Berlin press release, 8 September 2026 -- 240,000 visitors from 155 countries, more than 2,000 exhibitors](https://drive.ifa-berlin.com/drive/2026/09/IFA%202026_That%20was%20IFA%202026_press%20release_EN.pdf) - [TCL -- AI Inspired Life: Step Inside TCL Inspiration Habitat at IFA 2026](https://www.tcl.com/global/en/news/ai-inspired-life-step-inside-tcl-inspiration-habitat-at-ifa-2026) - [PR Newswire, Berlin, 3 September 2026 -- TCL: Inspired by Life, Powered by AI](https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/inspired-life-powered-ai-tcl-162900762.html) - [Midea -- Midea Brings "Simply ideal" to Life at IFA 2026](https://www.midea.com/global/news/midea-brings-simply-ideal-to-life-at-ifa-2026) - [Midea -- SMART MASTER at IFA 2026 (Hall 5.1, Messe Berlin)](https://www.midea.com/global/news/midea-smart-master-brings-an-ai-powered-home-ecosystem-to-life-at-ifa-2026) - [Tom's Guide -- Anker launched new products at IFA 2026, including an AI-powered home hub](https://www.tomsguide.com/home/anker-just-launched-a-ton-of-new-products-at-ifa-2026-including-an-ai-powered-home-hub) ## FAQ ### How does a transparent screen in front of a product work? A transparent OLED or transparent LED display sits between the visitor and the product. Dark areas of the content stay see-through, so graphics appear to float on the real object. It needs the product to be lit, content that leaves room for the product, and placement designed for where visitors stand. ### What is the difference between transparent OLED and transparent LED? Transparent OLED makes light in each pixel and stays see-through where pixels are black; it suits finer content viewed up close. Transparent LED uses rows of LEDs with gaps between them; it is usually brighter, modular and built larger, with coarser pixels. Both are general principles, not a particular product's specification. ### What is a flip display matrix? A wall of tiles that each carry one piece of a picture and turn on their own pivot, so the picture changes in a choreographed wave. Common builds use small screens on motorised pivots or printed tiles that turn to another face. MLABART worked on a flip display matrix for Siemens at IFA 2026. ### Which IFA 2026 product display installations did MLABART work on? Transparent OLED refrigerator and laundry demos and AI picture/sound comparisons for TCL; a lifting transparent LED screen and anamorphic 3D corner screens for Midea; a flip display matrix and letter-panel installation for Siemens; a transparent touchscreen for Dreame; and a MindBase model house for Anker. ## Related Pages **See also:** [Product Launch Reveal Stages](https://mlabart.com/solutions/product-launch-reveals/) | [Interactive LED Walls & Big Screens](https://mlabart.com/solutions/interactive-led-walls/) | [Naked-eye 3D (Anamorphic) Content & Screens](https://mlabart.com/solutions/naked-eye-3d-billboards/) | [Kinetic Sculptures & Installations](https://mlabart.com/solutions/kinetic-mechanical-installations/) --- **MLABART** -- Interaction - Imagination - Innovation MLABART is an interactive installation and interactive software development studio. We design, program and deliver interactive installations -- motion-sensing games, touch and AI experiences, interactive LED walls, projection mapping, naked-eye 3D and kinetic sculptures -- for mall and New Year's Eve countdown campaigns, trade-show booths and launches, and brand pop-ups, from concept and custom software through fabrication and on-site delivery. - Web: https://mlabart.com - Email: mark@touchworld-sh.com - Phone / WhatsApp: +86 18917292695 - Canonical HTML version: https://mlabart.com/insights/ifa-2026-product-display-installations/