LG's 'world's most stretchable' display can now expand by 50 percent

LG Display has unveiled a highly stretchable MicroLED display that can expand from 12 to 18 inches.

LG Display's stretchable display, capable of extending up to 50 percent of its original size [LG DISPLAY]

LG Display has developed a display that can stretch from 12 to 18 inches, making the prototype currently the world's most stretchable screen.

The prototype, which LG revealed at its Sciencepark R&D complex in Gangseo District, western Seoul, on Friday, can be twisted, stretched and folded in all directions like a rubber band — as opposed to the rollable, bendable and foldable displays currently on the market that can only move in limited ways. The company claims it can be stretched up to 10,000 times.

The MicroLED display has a pixel density of 100 pixels per inch, around what might be found in a 21-inch to 24-inch monitor with 1920 x 1080 resolution. It is capable of displaying full colors with its RGB pixels, the company said, and can “maintain its image quality in extreme temperatures and external shocks.”

LG Display's stretchable display, capable of extending up to 50 percent of its original size [LG DISPLAY]

The 50 percent stretchable display is an improvement from the company's most recent 2022 prototype, which was able to extend its display size by 20 percent. Samsung, in August, showed off a stretchable panel that could extend by 25 percent.

The key to device's rubberlike quality is in its silicon-based substrate, also used in contact lenses, as well as a new wiring system.

“The stretchable display is thin and light, and they have the ability to adhere to irregular surfaces such as clothes and skins,” LG Display said in a press release Sunday. “The technology is expected to be applicable in fashion, wearable and mobility industries.” The company showed off its stretchable technology at the Seoul Fashion Week 2024 in September, with the displays applied to clothes and bags.

LG Display's new panel concept stretches to a convex shape and is designed to be used in cars. [LG DISPLAY]

LG is developing the new display as a part of a project led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. LG Display was chosen to lead the project in 2020 in collaboration with other domestic companies.

The firm also demonstrated other stretchable display concepts at Friday's event, including a panel that contorts to a convex shape, designed to be used in cars, and a wearable panels for firefighters that provides a live information feed.

“[LG Display] will continue to closely work with the local industry, academia and researchers to build a sustainable future display ecosystem,” LG Display Chief Technical Officer Yoon Soo-young said.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]