We’ve seen them before in concept -cylindrical smartphones, foldable screens, and bendable devices – but they may be closer to reality than you realize. FlexEnable has developed technology that allows screens and active displays to bend without breaking.
FlexEnable is pushing the boundaries and enabling low-cost, ultra-thin, ultra-lightweight and shatterproof electronic displays. The Verge reported on FlexEnable’s demo at MWC in Barcelona, where they showed off their flexible wrist-wearable cell phone, shown above. But the biggest question surrounding this is: why? Personally I think this phone is FlexEnable’s way of generating buzz to attract clients to co-develop products that will actually go to market. Bendable screens will soon make their way into our mobile devices in more subtle ways than the wrist phone. The company is also working on a range of flexible sensors including X-ray imaging and fingerprint sensors, which have great potential to impact healthcare.
Above is the prototype demoing FlexEnable’s technology in a foldable smartphone-tablet hybrid. In this prototype, the screen folds out to double in size. Imagine this paired with an operating system like Windows 10, which has already-existing fluidity between phone and tablet interfaces built in. This technology could make the dream of foldable tablets a reality, today.
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Header image from The Verge
