The novel and truly exciting features of Universal Display’s proprietary FOLED® flexible technology have the potential to engender a wide variety of new display and lighting products. With FOLED technology still in its infancy, the first commercial FOLED displays are targeted for use in portable electronics and lighting tiles – leveraging their advantages in ruggedness, thinness and light weight.
Based on Universal Display’s FOLED technology roadmap, the next generation of FOLEDs may provide added functionality through increased conformability. This feature may open up a wide range of new product opportunities – ranging from new shaped cell phone designs to novel communication devices that are wearable, for example, on the cuff of your shirtsleeve or your backpack to safe and energy-efficient displays that can be made to conform to internal curved surfaces within an automobile.
Continued progress in Universal Display’s FOLED roadmap may, then, enable the realization of Universal Display’s innovative product concept, the Universal Communication Device (UCD). Envisioned as a truly portable, cell phone-like communication device, the UCD is designed to offer advanced voice and data communication capabilities – via a roll-out, full-color, full-motion video display that’s as flexible as it is energy-efficient.
Additional product ideas based on our FOLED technology (and TOLED transparent OLED technology) include:
- Foldable, electronic, daily-refreshable newspapers
- Ultra-lightweight and thin, wall-size television monitors
- Curved, high-contrast automotive instrumentation displays
- Heads-up instrumentation for aircraft and automotive windshields
- Office windows, walls and partitions that double as computer screens
- Color-changing lighting panels and light walls for home and office
With FOLED technology development advancing well, initial flexible OLED products may be ready for the market within the next few years. With continued product innovation enabled by these new FOLED performance features, we believe that the potential may be much greater.
