The future of mobile devices already looks bright thanks to the promise of flexible displays. A new display technology called Free-Form Display unveiled by Sharp this weeks now promises to make that future even more exciting by giving us displays with very unique shapes.
Conventional displays typically have rectangular displays because their bezel incorporate a certain amount of circuitry. Sharp’s Free-Form Display disperses that circuitry into the display itself “thanks to the incorporation of IGZO technology and proprietary circuit design methods.” As a result, not only can the bezels be even thinner than they are today but, more importantly, the panel can be shaped “to match whatever shape the display area of the screen needs to be.”
Sharp’s press release focuses on the benefits of the technology for the automotive industry. For example, a single instrument panel on the car dashboard could combine a speedometer and other monitors. But the company also sees uses for the technology in the mobile space, suggesting that we could soon see “wearable devices with elliptical displays.” There is no reason that device manufacturers could not adopt Free-Form Display technology for future smartphones and tablets. Not only could we see devices with radical shapes but also very interesting user interfaces that would take advantage of those new forms.
Sharp plans to go to mass production for its new Free-Form Display “at the earliest possible date.”
Source : Sharp