E Ink Corporation is a well known name in the world of electronic paper display technology, and has recently announced its flexible display program at a recent symposium. According to E Ink, their partner LG. Philips LCD has just introduced the highest resolution 14.3″ flexible color display in the world at the recently concluded CES which used E Ink’s Vizplex Imaging Film and LG.Philip’s very own metal foil and plastic substrate backplace. The result of this amalgamation measures less than 300 micrometers thin without compromising on performance - you get a resolution of 1,280 x 800 which is completely rollable and bendable, with the image not suffering from distortion of any sort.

Looks like the future of displays are bendable, and the potential of such technology is basically endless. Imagine being able to purchase your newspaper just once - the physical part of it, at least. I guess this is somewhat like a glorified version of e-book readers that we currently see from Amazon and Sony. Although your dog will probably miss the days of running after the paperboy and bringing home its prize to your doorstep, the amount of paper the world would save on would be well worth the sacrifice. There will be some drawbacks though as adoption rates might take longer to pick up since many people are still used to the idea of flipping through page after page of depressing news with a cup of hot, steaming coffee in hand.

According to Dr Michael McCreary, vice president of advanced research and development at E Ink Corporation, “E Ink was founded on the vision of Radio Paper, that is, flexible wireless displays. We are excited that our partners are moving forward with electronic solutions that are not dependent on breakable glass substrates, and, together with E Ink Vizplex Imaging Film, enable new applications that require extremely light weight and rugged displays.”

Press Release