LG’s largest-ever foldable display prototype is now official. The company announced the existence of the world’s first stretchable display which is capable of expanding up to 50%. This is the highest rate of elongation in the foldable display industry. The Korean company demonstrated the panel during a meeting at LG Science Park in Seoul with more than 100 South Korean industry, academia, and research participants involved in a stretchable display national project.
What are stretchable displays
Stretchable displays are seen as the ultimate free-form foldable screen technology because they can be freely transformed into any shape. This includes stretching, folding and twisting. LG’s prototype features a 12-inch screen that stretches up to 18 inches, while simultaneously delivering a resolution of 100ppi (pixels per inch) and full red, green, and blue (RGB) colour.
Earlier, in 2022, LG unveiled its first stretchable display prototype. However, the new panel’s maximum elongation rate has more than doubled from 20% to 50%.
How this prototype is better than the previous one
The company said that it has improved the properties of a special silicon material substrate used in contact lenses and developed a new wiring design structure for the latest prototype. LG Display also claimed that this panel will offer more stretchability and flexibility, exceeding the original national project’s target of 20% elongation.
By using a micro-LED light source of up to 40μm (micrometres), the new prototype’s strengthened durability means it can be repeatedly stretched over 10,000 times, maintaining clear image quality even in extreme environments such as exposure to low or high temperatures and external shocks, the company notes.
The company also showcased numerous concepts where stretchable displays can be adopted, including an automotive panel that stretches out into a convex shape and can be operated by hand as well as a wearable display attached to firefighters’ uniforms that provides real-time information.
