Flexible Surfaces

Thinfilm phone that will make current smartphone obsolete in 5 to 10 years.

The world’s first interactive paper computer is set to revolutionize the world of interactive computing.

The smartphone prototype, called PaperPhone is best described as a flexible iPhone – it does everything a smartphone does, like store books, play music or make phone calls. But its display consists of a 9.5 cm diagonal thin film flexible E Ink display. The flexible form of the display makes it much more portable that any current mobile computer: it will shape with your pocket.

Being able to store and interact with documents on larger versions of these light, flexible computers means offices will no longer require paper or printers.

Everything can be stored digitally and you can place these computers on top of each other just like a stack of paper, or throw them around the desk.

The invention heralds a new generation of computers that are super lightweight, thin-film and flexible. They use no power when nobody is interacting with them. When users are reading, they don’t feel like they’re holding a sheet of glass or metal.

Article taken from Human Media Lab

 

Last year Samsung, LG show flexible OLED, e-paper displays:

Samsung’s screens are based on OLED (organic light emitting diode) and LG Display’s screen is an e-paper display.

In LCDs (liquid crystal display), such as those in laptops and TVs, a unit behind the screen shines light through it so its image is visible. Making a flexible LCD would mean developing both a screen and backlight unit that can be flexed.

OLEDs contain an organic material in each pixel that generates light when an electrical charge is applied, while e-paper relies on reflected ambient light.

Samsung’s prototype flexible OLED screens were on show in two sizes: a 4.5-inch screen with 480 pixels by 800 pixels resolution, and a 2.8-inch screen with 240 pixels by 400 pixels resolution.

They were displayed inside rigid plastic cases that kept the screens curved. One was held in an “S” shape while another was curved through 180 degrees. Like other OLED screens, both displayed bright and vivid images with good color reproduction.

The LG e-paper screen was a 19-inch model. It was demonstrated gently flexing while the image was shown on screen and appeared to show no signs of trouble dealing with the movement.

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