Toshiba flexes its paper-thin LCD muscle, moves the world (video)

Toshiba's found an interesting use for flexible LCD technology: user input. At SID 2010, the Japanese display manufacturer showed off an 8.4-inch wide, 0.1mm thick SVGA panel that could be grabbed and physically bent to zoom in or out using Google Earth. While it's a far cry from 6DOF and perhaps not as entertaining as controlling the time-space continuum with forefinger and thumb, the bend sensor seems like an obvious addition to the gamut of crisp, rollable, data storing, energy generating flexible tech already in development. It's also worth noting that Toshiba isn't the only one working on the idea; IBM filed a patent application for "flexible displays as an input device" back in 2006. Video after the break.

[Thanks, Lennart]

[Drago Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:14PM]

Awesome

[Ross McLean Posted Jun 1st 2010 9:15PM]

@Drago

It's awesome, but to me, my first instinct would be to bend the screen in on itself to make it zoom in. Not bending the screen out to zoom in.

[samuelm Posted Jun 2nd 2010 10:57AM]

@Ross McLean Convex to zoom in, concave to zoom out, like a lens.

[DefPoet Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:14PM]

Dear OLED
Your FAT!
signed,
older brother LCD

[Alexpeegs Posted Jun 1st 2010 9:16PM]

@DefPoet lol even though oled is thinner then lcd s

[DefPoet Posted Jun 1st 2010 9:29PM]

@Alexpeegs
Show me an oled. That is .1mm thin
Most average 3mm when this big. This is as thin as a piece of paper

[mattlev15 Posted Jun 1st 2010 9:48PM]

.05mm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLlrzIxvS9w

[DefPoet Posted Jun 1st 2010 10:36PM]

@mattlev15
Okay I'll shut up now

[macman12 Posted Jun 2nd 2010 12:53AM]

@DefPoet it isn't about how thick it is about sustainability.

[forHim247 Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:14PM]

In all seriousness; that just blew my mind!

[MrGoodCat Posted Jun 1st 2010 9:29PM]

@forHim247

ah, witchcraft! did anybody else see it capture that poor mans soul at the 18sec mark? the price of new technology....

[1q2w3e4r Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:15PM]

nice!!!!

[Xylias Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:15PM]

Next headline: IBM sues Toshiba for patent breach.

[Grubasaurus Rex Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:16PM]

Can you imagine Technology in 10 years!?!?!

[bighap Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:19PM]

@Grubasaurus Rex

Flying cars! Wait, weren't we supposed to have those already?

[DefPoet Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:23PM]

@bighap
Actually people have made flying cars. The reason companies will not is there are no traffics lanes for Flying things besides Airplanes and thats is a complication that needs to be meet first

[bravokiloromeo Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:33PM]

@DefPoet
What do you mean the FAA wouldn't be able to handle that?!

[DefPoet Posted Jun 1st 2010 9:00PM]

@bravokiloromeo
That's exactly what I mean. 100,000 airplanes is manageable. 100,000,000 cars is not

[Eternity Posted Jun 2nd 2010 12:06PM]

@bighap

Electric cars!
Oh wait, that was supposed to be ubiquitous already.....
But we killed that one in the 90's.

[jjrudey Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:18PM]

Nothing can stop the power of LCD!!

[forHim247 Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:19PM]

I can't help but imagine 80 foot versions of these things flapping around as they're pulled across the sky by small planes.

[bravokiloromeo Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:33PM]

@forHim247
They could BE the small planes. And annoying ads.

[SPENone Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:19PM]

SICK!.......

[n11 Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:22PM]

Now that's ingenuity. Would love to be able to use something in that method.

[ThatDudeSolo Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:29PM]

@n11
I could imaging one of these fitted into the dashboard of a car, or on the wall of a house etc. so many uses. Hell these could even be able to replac news papers, save the tree's. Instead of getting a new paper everyday you just get it streamed directly to your little flexy screen.

[ThatDudeSolo Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:26PM]

So you're telling me in a few years I can hide this between one of my text books and watch my umm videos while being discreet?! SIGN ME UP!

[Rome Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:26PM]

This would be great for military to carry with them. Imagine maps of the location they are at...with updated military commands, perhaps positions as well upon identification. This could be useful for the troops... very lightweight...low energy. Simply hand movements to control.

If used on the field...don't add anything else...just a map, flexible solar panel on the back to charge the device.

[Rome Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:29PM]

Simple Hand Movements

[bravokiloromeo Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:34PM]

@Rome
It's better than buying a couple hundred PS3's, right?

[desertdude Posted Jun 3rd 2010 8:50AM]

@bravokiloromeo
Indeed, I'll take my army of PS3 brained, Trojan Armour wearing battlebots and kill the Kindle in one clean swoop with this thing!
In the future we'll be EnGadging from our P-readers and downloading Mapplications, all at the same time YAY!
Too bad multitabsking wasn't invented till after we put a man on Mars

[Somber Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:35PM]

OMG IM GONNA DIE!!!

[nitewulf Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:53PM]

@Somber u already did ;) dont u remember ? that pic is from your funeral ...

[xc7x Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:38PM]

that's nice but also lots of glare as well

[Daveiops Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:41PM]

OHH WOW!!!

[lanlanb Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:43PM]

Wow, that is very impressive! Nice to see LCD technology moving forward...

[iheartgadgetz Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:46PM]

Add transparency, a PixelQi-like mode, and you've made all my dreams come true :)

[Einlander Posted Jun 1st 2010 8:48PM]

Yo Toshibia, I'm really happy for you, I'm let you finish but Sony Has the most flexible scren of all time. OF ALL TIME!

http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/26/sonys-rollable-oled-display-can-wrap-around-a-pencil-our-heart/

[xus1 Posted Jun 1st 2010 10:18PM]

Give it ten yes and we'll be eating our chips out of it!

[xus1 Posted Jun 1st 2010 11:04PM]

Give it ten years and we'll all be eating our chips out of it! The grammatical functionality of the nex1 needs an o t a upgrade. Big-time! Let's hope it comes with froyo.

[leafflash Posted Jun 2nd 2010 12:52AM]

Flexing a screen makes for a very limited input device...

[detonator Posted Jun 2nd 2010 3:28AM]

@leafflash
as limited as your imagination?

[Geaux Posted Jun 2nd 2010 11:09AM]

Can't wait for flexible cellphones ...

[ChaskaCF Posted Jun 2nd 2010 5:46PM]

imagine huge sheets of that in a cylinder... plus surround sound... and you got yourself a very epic movie setting.