LG Display, the world’s largest liquid crystal display (LCD) maker and whose largest shareholder is LG Electronics, has shown off an innovative 12-inch display panel that is stretchable. The high-resolution stretchable display reportedly uses free-form technology, meaning that users can “extend, twist and fold the display” without causing damage to it. The stretchability rated at 20% is the world’s first and has a resolution of 100 PPI and full-colour RGB.
To achieve this feat. LG claims to have used a resilient substrate made of silicon similar to the ones found in contact lenses. The result is a product capable of stretching from its initial 12-inch display to one measuring 14 inches.
In order to keep the lighting uniform and consistent while stretching, LG Display has used a micro-LED light source, which they claim to have the durability to endure the tough impacts the stretchable display might endure in the hands of its users.
“Alongside its thin, lightweight design, the Stretchable display’s revolutionary technology offers next-level versatility for various daily scenarios. Easily attachable to curved surfaces such as skin, clothing, furniture, automobiles and aircraft, this unique innovation expands the potential of the display in various industries including fashion, wearables, mobility and gaming,” says LD Display
The development of the display was started thanks to a national research and development project that was commissioned by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea in 2020.
“We will successfully complete this project to enhance the competitiveness of Korean display technology while continuing to lead the industry’s paradigm shift,” says Soo-young Yoon, the Executive Vice President and CTO at LG Display
The stretchable display while obviously still at an infancy level has the potential to be groundbreaking in different industries like the foldable smartphone market where the likes of Samsung and Xiaomi have been trying out new materials and designs to make their devices stand out.
An affordable stretchable panel could even make it possible to have devices that fold more than once, making it possible to carry around huge displays that are folded in your pocket.
But this is realistically still a few years out before we start seeing such form factors make their way to the public, which is a very good reason to be excited about what the future holds for display technology
