The stretchable display, which was announced in a press release on Thursday, has a resolution of 100ppi and can display full-color RGB. The prototype was created by embedding micro LEDs with pixel pitches of less than 40m into a silicon substrate commonly used in contact lenses. According to LG Display, this gives it a “rubber band-like” consistency and allows it to be stretched by up to 20% in any direction.
Other types of flexible display technology, such as LG’s own rollable OLED TV or the LG G Flex phone, have been commercially available for some time. Foldable devices frequently use a malleable screen, but this new stretchable display technology is theoretically more flexible while also providing better durability — supposedly capable of withstanding heavy external impacts comfortably.
“Stretchable displays are not only thin and light, but also can be attached to curved surfaces such as skin, clothing, and furniture”, LG Display says in a press release.
The company has not announced any products that will use the technology, but it is expected to be used in industries such as wearables, mobility, smart devices, gaming, and fashion in the future. LG Display is developing this stretchable screen as part of a government-led development project, with the Korean-based company hoping to improve on the display technology by 2024.
LG Display isn’t the only company experimenting with stretchable displays. Samsung previously demonstrated the technology’s viability in real-world applications by developing a stretchable OLED screen in a prototype heart rate monitor in June 2021.