We heard that there is a war going on between technology companies and a race to be won by whoever produces the first fully foldable device that contains a flexible screen and puts it in the hands of users, as if this technology is new? Is it really new or has a long history? Just to be aware that flexible screen technology has been in a continuous race for many years, and it may have gone through difficult periods at one time, but with the passage of time a lot of progress has been made in this industry. Learn with us about the history of this technology ...


The start date of the flexible screens

This technology is not born today, it has a long history, and here are the details:

Jerecon Electronic Paper 1974

The physicist Nicholas Sherdon invented the Jerecon electronic paper in 1974 in a research project called Jerecon at the Xerox Research Center, "the giant of American printing technology," where the company funded the project. The technology consists of small pellets spread in a thin layer of transparent plastic that move to show an image when an electrical voltage is applied to it.

Scientific research continued after that to reach the desired goal and expand the use of this new technology. In 1989, in a television interview on the "Future of Things" program, scientist Nicholas Sherdon said, "We are in dire need of electronic paper, which will save us the amount of paper used, especially after computers enter homes and companies."

In 1990, Shirdon applied for a patent in an attempt to create a bendable screen, and this technology was adopted at that time by European specialists.


Xerox marketing of Jerecon electronic paper 2003-2005

After decades of working on this technology by the scientist Sherdon and other researchers from around the world, the Jerecon project was supported by Xerox to produce this huge technology in 2003. Unfortunately, the researchers were unable to complete their project as the company that supported this project abandoned this project due to Its high production cost as well as the unfavorable prices to consumers.

So the project closed in 2005, and Xerox is still licensing the technology.


The ASU team with the US company HP at the center of flexible screens

In 2005, the Flexible Screen Center was opened, but it was short-lived as researchers at Arizona State University faced many obstacles that could not enable them to complete the flexible screens project.

In 2008, the project was revived again through the ASU "Arizona State University" team and the partnership with HP, and the first electronic paper was produced. But by 2010, HP declared that it would be beneficial to offer better screens that are thinner and lighter than making flexible screens.


Sony introduces a flexible OLED screen

In the summer of 2007, Sony unveiled an OLED screen and showed a video on it while it was bending, but Sony did not produce any of these screens in any of its products, perhaps because its time has not come yet. You can watch a video of this technology ...


Nokia Morph flex phone

Nokia unveiled it on February 25, 2008 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and was designed as a wearable device, and this was the result of a joint study of the future of mobile phones by the Nokia Research Center and the Cambridge Nanoscience Research Center in the United Kingdom to develop flexible screen technology that can To be visible and transparent, with capabilities such as charging by solar energy, equipped with sensors, and a self-cleaning screen against dirt, water and fingerprints.


Sony is updating the bendable screens

And by 2010, Sony's R&D team announced a screen that could bend like paper, and can display video on it as well.


Samsung announces a 4.5-inch flexible AMOLED screen

Also in 2010, companies took a turn towards developing flexible display screens and Samsung was one of the leaders in this field.

This year, Samsung introduced a 4.5-inch flexible display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, using a special type of plastic material to obtain a high degree of clarity, accuracy and bending, according to the website. oled-display.


Nokia Kinetic Flex Phone

"In order for the flexible screens to be fully adopted, there must be a flexible bendable device with all its internal and external components," as an analyst mentioned to the World News website. Nokia realized this early on, and made a prototype of a flexible smart phone that interacts with the user when the screen is bent, such as enlarging Pictures, images, or music or video playback when bending the device in some way or another. You can watch the video ...


NanoLumens produces a 112-inch NanoFlex display

NanoLumens Company “is a private American company that designs and manufactures screens founded in 2006” and in early 2012 the founder and president of NanoLumens announced a 112-inch NanoFlex screen used in public places such as airports, train stations and supermarkets, and this screen weighed approximately 38 kg and its thickness It only exceeds one inch and can be installed on a flat surface or wrapped onto large poles.


The US Army Research Center in Arizona makes the largest flexible display

In May 2012 University of Arizona researchers along with the US Army Research Laboratories made a huge breakthrough as the ASU Flexible Screen Center announced that the world's largest flexible OLED screen had been produced capable of displaying full-color video.


Plastic Logic flexible screen displays video at 12 frames per second

In a press interview in July 2012, the German company Plastic Logic announced the production of the world's first electronic paper capable of running color video at a rate of 12 frames per second, and the company intends to use this technology to make models of wearable devices such as a flexible electronic wrist.


Samsung YOUM display debuts at CES

In 2013, Samsung unveiled a flexible, foldable screen called Youm made with OLED technology at CES in Las Vegas, USA, and this screen works like a retractable electronic paper device and also announced the "edge S6 phone of inelastic glass with a curvature." On its edges the notifications appear on a slider bar along the side of the device.

 

Skiff flex reader appearing at CES 2013

"Hearst Corporation" unveiled its new product, "Skiff Reader", the flexible e-reader, and among its features is its light weight, an area of ​​11.5-inch touch screen with a resolution of 1200 pixels with 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity and is capable of running animations at a rate of 12 frames per the second.


Apple patent for a self-positioning bracelet

 In 2013, Apple filed a patent for a flexible "self-positioning" wristband screen. This could indicate a new generation of Apple Watch.


LG announces flexible screen designs

Also in 2013, the Korean News Agency announced that LG plans to ship its first flexible screens by the end of 2013. Then this technology began to develop little by little in the following years to this day, but we have not yet seen any real application of any of this technology on mobile phones. In the hands of the public.

A few days ago, various news agencies reported that Apple is working with LG to produce a flexible screen, and at the same time Apple requested a patent that enables it to make foldable screens that include phones and other devices.


Now that you have read this narration of the history of flexible screens, why have we not yet seen an application of this technology on phones? Do you think that the future is for this technology? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Source:

networkworld|ndtv|oled-info

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