Polyera has unveiled its Wove Band, a flexible, low-power display that users can lie flat or roll up, converting it into a wrist wearable. The company has spent a decade developing its Digital Fabric Technology that allows users to bend and twist displays, and is planning to launch its new gadget during mid-2016.
Ironically, last year Apple had to respond to reports that its iPhone 6 smartphone had a flexible screen, according to WNEP. However, some companies are developing such tech on purpose.
Polyera's new bendable gadget is a sporty wearable. Users tap the band to display news, weather, or email, and the device could later become a platform with its own apps, like iOS and Android.
Developers can pre-order free units in September. Polyera will then ship wearables to a select group of developers and artists in December.
The company explained in an announcement that most flexible displays have used silicon and other old-school electronic materials, according to PC Mag. They were put on plastic substances.
This method results in curved screens. However, the electronics layers are easily breakable, which make them improper for products that are extremely flexible, including the Wove Band.
Polyera CEO Phil Inagaki called most of today's electronic devices "rigid bricks." If they were softer and more plastic more devices and applications could be designed.
Meanwhile, the Wove Band claims to be a bendable, low-power display. Its innovative fabric and electronic ink film produce an always-on unit.
Developers who want the new flexible display can sign up for an email notification next month. That is when the Wove 0.1 prototypes will be available.
This is not the first pliable technology designed in the industry. In 2013 Samsung created a Youm flexible display that bends. In addition, last year LG announced an 18-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel that rolls up to a 3-centimeter radius. Apple also patented a flexible device this year.
Polyera is working on other new products. They include flexible logic circuits, sensors, and OLED displays.