South Korean tech company LG wants computers and gadgets of the future to be just as malleable as a sheet of paper. At this year’s CES, the company is demonstrating an 18-inch color screen that can be rolled up just like a newspaper.
The screen is just a concept, which means it’s unclear how and if it will ever come to fruition in future products. Even though there’s no indication that bendable gadgets will be available to buy anytime soon, LG’s flexible screen is further proof that major tech companies are putting resources into the concept.
The idea isn’t entirely new. Over the past few years, Samsung has been showcasing its bendable Youm phone concept, which allows phones to flex and fold. Sharp also introduced a free-form display in 2014 that can be shaped to meet different types of use cases. Both Samsung and LG have also said in the past that foldable smartphones could arrive in the 2016-2017 time frame.
While the display technology required for such devices might be ready, there are still other challenges to consider. The components needed to power smartphones, tablets, and computers, would need to be just as flexible as these screens, for instance.
What is clear, though, is that Samsung and LG are working to make these devices a reality. Both companies have both announced achievements in flexible battery technology that are currently aimed at wearable devices, as PCMag reported from the InterBattery conference in Seoul this past October.
It’s also still unclear what the benefits of foldable gadgets will be, beyond the futuristic aesthetics and easier portability.
PHOTOS: The Rise of Mobile Phones from 1916 to Today
1916 A German field telephone station in the Aisne department of northern France during World War I.Paul Thompson—FPG/Getty Images1970
French singer and actor Johnny Hallyday in a scene from the film 'Point de Chute' (aka 'Falling Point').Keystone/Holton/Getty Images1980
An early mobile phone during the Iranian Embassy siege at Princes Gate in South Kensington, London.Kypros/Getty Images1983
Bob Maxwell, general manager of Englewood-based Mobile Telephone of Colorado, places a call on an FCC-approved radio frequency while driving to work.Lyn Alweis—Denver Post/Getty Images1986
THE A-TEAM "The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair" Episode 5. (l-r) Eddie Velez as Frankie Santana, Robert Vaughn as General Hunt Stockwell, George Peppard as John 'Hannibal' Smith.Bill Dow—NBC/Getty Images1992
Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton talks on a cell phone while meeting with Boston Mayor Ray Flynn in a New York hotel on Sept. 25.Mark Lennihan—AP1993
Whoopi Goldberg during ShoWest in Las Vegas.Jeff Kravitz—FilmMagic/Getty Images1997
A farmer with his family sitting on a Bullock Cart and talking on a mobile Phone, in Delhi.India Today Group/Getty Images2001
A woman watches smoke pour out of the World Trade Center Towers in New York on September 11.Nicholas Goldberg—Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images2011
A rebel militiaman speaks on his mobile phone after capturing territory from government troops on March 25 in Ben Jawat, Libya. John Moore—Getty Images2011
A youth films the aftermath of tear gas police fired at protestors in Muhammed Mahmoud Street near Tahrir Square on November 23 in Cairo.Peter Macdiarmid—Getty Images2012
Audience members take pictures of President Barack Obama at Florida Atlantic University on April 10 in Boca Raton, Florida. Marc Serota—Getty Images2014
A teenager takes a selfie in front of Queen Elizabeth II during a walk around St. Georges Market in Belfast. The Queen has apparently voiced her dismay that when she carries out engagements she is greeted by a sea of mobile phones.Peter Macdiarmid—PA Wire/Press Association Images/AP
