One of the design submissions that has garnered a lot of attention at the ongoing Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, Spain, is an incredibly innovative flexible OLCD screen that wraps right around the user’s wrist. Developed by the engineers at UK-based company FlexEnable, the prototype technology could pave the way more advanced flexible wearables, including wraparound smartwatches as well as security sensors.
The 4.7-inch LCD bracelet features special plastic transistors that in turn create a flexible organic liquid crystal display (or OLCD) screen, less than one-hundredth of an inch in thickness. These transistors, according to the company, lend flexibility to the design, making the device malleable enough to be wrapped around one’s wrist. The screen, which is currently not touch-sensitive, can be operated with the help of function buttons present on the sides of the contraption. Paul Cain, the spokesperson at FlexEnable, said:
Our unique technology allows electronics to be manufactured on flexible plastic film, the thickness of a sheet of paper. It combines stable, high performance organic thin-film transistors (OTFT) with passive elements to create truly flexible and cost-effective electronics over large and small surfaces.
Flexible displays have been around for quite sometime. Back in 2014, for instance, LG unveiled an 18-inch transparent OLED panel, quite possibly the largest in the entire world, which can easily be rolled into a tube. As Cain points out, instead of developing new products, the company will be working with other electronics manufacturers to make the technology available in the market.
In addition to the LCD bracelet, FlexEnable showcased prototypes of flexible fingerprint sensors that can be wrapped around door handles to provide greater security against break-ins.
To know more about FlexEnable, head over to the company’s official website.
I can see this developed into a VR display that has a much wider field of view, giving the user a more natural peripheral vision. It would also make the VR goggles much less awkward and bulky. Lensing may be a problem, however, unless a new process is developed that creates a lens that can focus across a wide area without constant adjustment.