[Courtesy of LG Display]
SEOUL -- Buoyed by the successful commercialization of rollable TVs that received positive feedback from critics, South Korea embarked on a new project led by LG Display, a major flat panel maker, to develop stretchable displays which are seen as the final phase of flexible display technologies because the scope of application and market potential will be "almost endless."
Bendable, foldable and rollable panels have been developed, but the next generation product is stretchable to all sides without affecting the quality of displays. LG Display said it has been selected by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to lead a national project to develop stretchable displays. The company aims to develop stretchable display products with a 20 percent elongation rate by 2024.
"LG Display will develop stretchable displays, a new form factor which could vastly widen the scope of applications that displays can be applied to," LG Display's laboratory head Yoon Soo-young said in a statement, adding stretchable displays will play a "huge" role in the era of IoT, 5G and self-driving cars.
LG Display said the great flexibility of stretchable displays means there is vast potential in terms of applications to multi-foldable smart devices, wearable devices with excellent fit and no movement restrictions, and auto and aviation displays that overcome design constraints caused by curved surfaces.
It is expected that the scope of application and market potential will be almost endless, said LG Display, which will lead a group of 21 entities, including companies, research institutes and universities to preoccupy new high value-added markets through the development of stretchable displays as well as relevant materials, components and equipment.
Competition is growing between LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics to secure the upper hand in the global premium TV market by using next-generation displays. LG Electronics has released the world's first rollable TV with an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen that can appear and disappear from a base unit at the touch of a remote control button.
Samsung has vowed to introduce a stretchable display suitable for use in the wearable industry and a vehicle infotainment system.
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