South Korean manufacturer LG has unveiled the world's first-ever flexible and stretchable high-resolution display. It offers unique elastic properties, paving the way for many potential applications in fashion or entertainment.

This initial prototype presented is 12in in size and is equipped with unique technology that allows it to be stretched, twisted and bent at will, without damaging the display and without causing any distortion to the image. The screen is based on a substrate made from a special silicon, which is usually used in the manufacture of contact lenses. In fact, it is relatively elastic and can be stretched up to 14in.

This demonstration surpasses anything that has been seen so far in terms of foldable or rollable screens for smartphones or TVs, a field in which LG is already at the forefront. This screen is also highly resistant, both to the stresses to which it is subjected and to various shocks. It can thus withstand repeated changes in shape to finally regain its initial appearance, without the slightest pixel suffering the effects.

In terms of uses, no specific application has been presented yet, but LG suggests that this technology could be applied to skin, as well as clothes or furniture, cars or planes. The idea is therefore to be able to surround oneself with screens, no matter what the supporting medium or mounting surface. In the future, a new generation of wearables could be created, applied directly to clothing or placed on the skin.

This stretchable screen was developed in collaboration with the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. This project is still in the development phase, and the first concrete applications are not expected before 2024, at best.

 - AFP Relaxnews