Image courtesy: Jobs Vacancy
In the next year, Amazon will introduce its cashierless “Just Walk Out” technology. Bendable glass was meant to usher forth a future right out of science fiction: foldable phones. However, the real glass we received ended up depending on factory-installed plastic screen protectors to prevent breaking when folded. LG now wants to take out the middlemen by upgrading the plastic itself: the firm recently revealed its “Real Folding Window,” a cover material that the company promises would be as durable as glass but without the cracking issue.
What’s the trick? LG doesn’t reveal much in its news statement, other than that it’s a “novel substance” that it uses to cover both sides of a sheet of plastic film – PET film, to be exact. (You’re probably most familiar with PET as the plastic in your Coke bottle.) The concept is that by applying that coating to the plastic and then applying that cover material to a flexible OLED panel, you would have a folding screen that lasts longer and has a less visible crease than today’s folding gadgets. LG claims it should be more competitive in terms of pricing as well.
What exactly is the trick? LG doesn’t say much about it in its news statement, other than that it’s a “novel substance” that it uses to coat both sides of a sheet of plastic film – PET film, to be exact. (Probably the most well-known application of PET is the plastic in your soda bottle.) The concept is that by applying that coating to the plastic and then applying that cover material to a flexible OLED panel, you would have a folding screen that lasts longer and has a less obvious crease than current folding gadgets. LG claims that it should be more price competitive as well.
