Imagine a world where you can have electronics that you can keep inside a tiny address book in your back pocket when not in use, and then pulled and extended to a larger 4″ device when it needs to be used. Well, it looks like we’re one step closer to having such gadgets at our disposal, thanks to the engineers over at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The engineers there have managed to create the first fully stretchable organic light-emitting diode (OLED) that can be stretched by as much as 45% and still remain functional. Using carbon nanotubes infused with some liquid polymer, they’ve managed to create a smooth, stretchable, transparent electrode that can emit light onto a stretchable, light-emitting plastic to create the aforementioned display.
It’s still a long way off from perfection, but hey – it’s a start. Find out more about the stretchable OLED and check out the demonstration video.