LG shows off first display that can stretch by 50%

While stretchable displays aren’t new, what you can do with them depends on how much they can stretch. That makes LG Display’s latest stretchable achievement notable: The company says it has hit a 50% stretch threshold, marking the first time a display has been deformed to this degree.

It’s a literal expansion of the company’s technology. In 2022, LG Display showed off its first stretchable display — a 12-inch RGB, microLED panel with a claimed pixel density of 100 pixels per inch (ppi) that could stretch by 20%. Its newest version is the same size, with the same pixel density, but by improving the properties of a special silicon material substrate used in contact lenses and developing a new wiring design structure, it has more than doubled stretchability to 50%.

LG Display

LG Display also claims that along with more stretch, it has enhanced durability. The new panel can “be repeatedly stretched over 10,000 times, while maintaining clear image quality even in extreme environments such as exposure to low or high temperatures and external shocks,” according to a press release.

As part of the announcement, the company showed off a demo automotive display in which flat surfaces can be reshaped into tactile areas, like buttons or a raised, circular dial. When the company debuted its first stretchable display, it noted that the technology could also be used on the outside of vehicles or aircraft.

Stretchable displays may also make their way into the clothing industry because they are thin, light, and can conform to many irregular shapes and surfaces.