LG develops an 18-inch rollable screen

Topping their 77-inch flexible 4k OLED television with a “controllable curve”, the electronics giant LG has just announced a new breed of OLED panel that’s flexible enough to roll up into a tube and smack your kid with. The transparent 18-inch panel’s curvature radius measure 30R while simultaneously boasting high-definition in the class of a 1200 x 810 resolution with 1 million mega-pixels.

Unlike its 77-inch predecessor whose corners move a mere 7.5 cm to bend, the 30R curvature radius enables the new panel to roll up into a cylinder with a radius of 1.18 inch (3 cm) without disrupting the function of its 1 million pixels. The key to lending the panel this high degree of flexibility is what LG describes as a “high molecular substance-based polyimide film, substituted in place of the conventional plastic panel. The polyimide film also helps reduce the panel’s thickness.

The panel is nearly transparent due to its two percent level of haze

Why should this garner excitement? Well, flexible screens are far more durable than conventional OLED/LED counterparts, indicating the technology will spark larger and more resilient electronics; everything ranging from televisions to smartphones and tablets. Secondly, consider the effect this will have on mobile devices: extremely lightweight foldable tablets that can double as laptops, foldable smartphones granting the convenience of a five inch plus screen without the bulk, and much more. The sheer reduction in volume will mimic the transition from tube televisions to flat panels.

And while 18 inches isn’t anything to write home about, LG is already on track in appropriating the technology into screens in the excess of 50 inches. The company pledges to have a 60-inch Ultra HD rollable TV by 2017. “We are confident that by 2017, we will successfully develop an Ultra HD flexible and transparent OLED panel of more than 60 inches, which will have transmittance of more than 40 percent and a curvature radius of 100R, thereby leading the future display market.” said In-Byung Kang, senior vice president and head of the R&D center at LG Display.

Judging by the steep prices of every innovative television ever released, expect a good number of years before prices drop to a more affordable consumer standard. LG’s 55-inch curved 55EA9800 cost nearly $5,000 when it was released in January 2014, whereas a standard 55-inch smart television costs about $1000.

Via LG