LG Display announced on Thursday that it would develop stretchable displays after South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) selected the company to lead the national R&D project in the display technology industry.
MOTIE launched a national project named “Stretchable Display Project” to push the development of stretchable displays. The ministry began the R&D project in 2019 as it considers such displays to be the pinnacle of flexible display technology.
In the flexible display market, three major types emerged, namely, foldable, bendable, and rollable. These displays could only warp at specific directions limiting their usage.
As the name implies, stretchable displays could increase and decrease much like a rubber band.
LG Display aims to accomplish a 20 percent elongation rate by 2024 for the stretchable display.
In Pursuit of a Healthy Display Market
Head of LG Display Laboratory, Dr. Soo-Young Yoon said that stretchable displays could vastly widen the possibilities of which display could be applied. He added that through the government-led R&D, LG Display would solidify its leadership in the industry while contributing to the development of future display technologies.
The R&D project aims to create future growth engines for South Korea’s display industry using next-generation display core technologies. Its “Freeform” ability allows for various variations without screen distortion and offers a wide range of applications in 5G, AI, IoTs, and autonomous vehicles.
The next-generation display could be applied to wearable devices, automobile and aviation displays, and curved surfaces with design constraints. LG Display expects an almost endless potential in terms of applications.
LG Display would oversee the project, leading a collective of 21 entities, including research institutions, large to medium-sized companies, universities. The parties involved would develop core technologies, obtain patents, and generate high value-added new markets. The ministry said that the R&D project aims to building a healthy market for the country’s future display technologies.