LG develops stretchable display screen

SEOUL, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- South Korea's LG Display announced Tuesday that it has developed the world's first 12-inch high-resolution stretchable display screen, a product that could elongate an extra 20%.

The Seoul-based company said the full-color, freeform display, designed to be lengthened up to 14 inches would support 100-pixels-per-inch resolution.

The display is based on a highly resilient film-type substrate made from special silicon used in contact lenses. It uses a micro-LED light source to secure a high level of durability.

LG said the new display would bring about innovations for digital devices, including smartphones, as it could be extended, folded and twisted without distortion or damage.

Unlike the conventional linear wired system, the stretchable display's flexible spring wired system can endure more than 10,000 repetitive changes to its form, according to LG.

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, began the foldable phone era in 2019 after a technological breakthrough in the panel display achieved by its subsidiary, Samsung Display.

LG expects the newly developed display and its thin, lightweight design to be adapted to various curved surfaces, such as skin, clothing, furniture, cars and aircraft.

The company also projected that various industries like fashion, wearables, mobility and gaming would adopt the versatile display.

"We will successfully complete this project to enhance the competitiveness of Korean display technology while continuing to lead the industry's paradigm shift," LG Display Chief Technology Officer Yoon Soo-young said in a statement.

LG did not give a specific timeline for the rollout of the new display.

Observers point out that stretchable display has enormous potential.

"It is likely that stretchable displays will become major solutions following foldable and rollable displays," NH Investment & Securities analyst Ju Min-woo said in a telephone interview.