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LG’s latest prototype screen is stretchy. Shown off at LG’s Science Park in Seoul, the company demonstrated the new type of display, including it being able to grow by 50 percent its original size.
The 12-inch prototype can reach up to 18 inches in size, as well as being able to display 100 pixels-per-inch (ppi), and the full RGB color. 100ppi is around 10 or so off from a regular monitor, bringing the future that ever bit closer to reality.
LG has also claimed that the new display can be stretched “over 10,000 times”, for those wondering about its resilience. Flexible displays still cause headaches with creases and potential damage from regular use.
The stretchy display might be a ways off yet, but the project has come far since it was originally shown off in 2022. Back then, it could only stretch 20% of its original size, around 14-inches.
LG presses forward with stretchy displays where others haven’t
Of course, this isn’t the first time a stretch-based screen has been shown off. In 2021, Royole showed off its own micro-LED stretchable display – similar tech to what LG is using – but was considerably smaller. The 2.7-inch demo unit could reportedly reach 130% of its original size.
Samsung appears to be the first to the technology though. The South Korean company did have a live demo in 2017, where it showed an OLED panel rising up and down.
There’s been no real product brought forward by any of the companies developing the tech, however. Currently, it’s been theorized that the stretchy screens could be used in medical or extreme conditions. In the press release, LG states that the display can withstand “extreme environments such as exposure to low or high temperatures and external shocks”.
As of right now though, it appears to be a demo and nothing more. While flexible screens have become the norm on mobile, LG sold a rollable TV, the Signature R, for the last few years. The $100,000 device was unceremoniously killed off this year, with a transparent panel set to take over in the Signature range.
Featured image: LG
