AIST unveils flexible display created with microcontact printing

Fresh from its efforts to disguise solar cells as plant leaves, Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (or AIST) is now boasting about some advances it's made in flexible displays, which it says will offer a whole host of benefits for e-paper-based devices. The big deal with this one is that all the processes needed to fabricate the organic TFT were done with microcontact printing, which allowed 'em to achieve a pixel pitch of 127μm even in its their initial 6x6-inch prototype, with the display also working effectively over its entire surface. That doesn't mean that it's quite ready for commercial use just yet, however, although the institute is promising to have A4-sized prototype ready by 2010, with actual e-paper products set to follow sometime around 2015.

[Alex @ Jun 10th 2008 3:14PM]

Paper displays...

I can't think of any use for them besides reusable news paper...

And easily breakable/bendable phones that you would loose every five seconds.

Kindle?

[kjb434 @ Jun 10th 2008 4:04PM]

Newspapers?

There are waste of time considering all the bad reporting they do.

I see this as a future for new thin displays

[AC @ Jun 10th 2008 3:35PM]

What does this have to do with the iPhone?? I'm struggling to make the connection here.... :-(

[Hamidxa @ Jun 10th 2008 3:38PM]

AC

You have to sign up for a 2 year ATT contract in order to get your hands on one of these displays.

[stardash @ Jun 10th 2008 3:43PM]

Also it is useless unless you get the data plan........ Thats how they get you.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Jun 10th 2008 3:48PM]

Not if you are on Pay as you Go

[stardash @ Jun 10th 2008 3:55PM]

Come on though, have you seen the rates?

[Reader @ Jun 10th 2008 4:32PM]

Something that many commenters here seem to not understand is that a joke is only funny the first couple times (usually three max). Please learn this rule.

[BlowURmindBowel @ Jun 10th 2008 5:05PM]

Actually the only time it's not funny is when you're a Mac fanboi...

[Reader @ Jun 10th 2008 9:06PM]

Lulz, because I'm such the Apple fanboi with my XP/Ubuntu PC and Zune MP3 player. Right. I don't even like Apple really, but I don't actively demote them and promote other companies because I'm not a consumerist tool.

[Vic the One @ Jun 11th 2008 9:41AM]

@Reader

COMMUNIST!!!!!

i kid.

[IT-Accountant @ Jun 10th 2008 3:50PM]

Despite all the above jokes, this technology really has a lot of potential.

[Killa Gorillaz @ Jun 10th 2008 3:55PM]

We could make bags out of it for our grocery's!

[Andir3.0 @ Jun 10th 2008 4:00PM]

Makes me wonder what ever happened to that company doing "Fluidic Self Assembly" a few years ago. Company was Alien Technologies but I see they fell back to doing RFID tags instead... They "printed" notches in a plastic sheet and flowed microchips over the sheet until they fell into their pocket then they layered another thin sheet on top of it to seal them all in.

[idiot @ Jun 10th 2008 4:09PM]

I wonder what the bend radius is on these things

[bk7 @ Jun 10th 2008 7:25PM]

thats an interesting point - from that image he seems to be able to bend it quite far, which does give this thing a hell of a lot of credibility (as opposed to a minor flex), but id imagine that this thing would be forever limited in its use as e-paper if it fundamentally could not be folded. Sure it could be folded - just like normal acetate, but that would leave a great crease, kinda screwing itself up for new stuff it might display.

[Some Kid @ Jun 10th 2008 4:44PM]

this will single handly bring down the projector for business

[nanobis @ Jun 10th 2008 5:51PM]

ssweet, it'll be like the minnority report, hopefully with out the future police and a tom cruse

[RoccoNut16v @ Jun 10th 2008 6:57PM]

I can't wait to use microcontact printing displays as toilet paper in the future.

[ddub @ Jun 10th 2008 7:16PM]

Whats toilet paper? We use the three sea shells.

[Reader @ Jun 10th 2008 9:07PM]

Holy old B movie.

[Ian @ Jun 10th 2008 7:02PM]

But how STRONG is it?

[Jake @ Jun 10th 2008 7:36PM]

So this might end up in actual products in 7 years?! I sure am glad I have this news source to keep me up to speed on breaking events.

[[p_c_m_d] @ Jun 10th 2008 10:55PM]

but can you cut a cake with it?

[Andrew @ Jun 10th 2008 11:16PM]

So sunglasses with video displays embedded in the lenses can't be far off. Awesome!

[neofolklore @ Jun 11th 2008 8:37AM]

they're out now, saw it on the Andromeda Strain.