ITRI introduces flexible OLED

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Taiwan is the latest organization to introduce a new line of flexible of displays, including a new active matrix flexible OLED screen.

The 4.1-in. ITRI AMOLED panel is on a plastic substrate and is able to display images even if it’s rolled up or curved.  The first prototype is monochrome, but a transition towards multi-color is possible and  will take place in the future, ITRI researchers said.

The 4.1-in. screen (courtesy of Digitimes)

A bit more information about the flexible OLEDs and a couple other pictures are available courtesy of Digitimes.

OLEDs have lower power consumption and higher screen quality when compared to LCD screens, but a major downside remains the cost of development, which is still extremely high.  Adoption rates will receive a serious boost when OLED manufacturing prices begin to drop over the next few years, analysts predict.

More companies are beginning to introduce flexible OLED displays, although most of the products are still years away from being released to the market.  Samsung recently showed off a flexible OLED display designed for mobile phones, but similar to other OLEDs, don’t hold your breath waiting for the technology to become available in Samsung phones any time soon.