Flexible displays have been discussed for years, but product designers couldn’t bring them to the market due to limitations in TFT manufacturing on non-glass substrates. Now, E Ink and Plastic Logic have unveiled a new flexible color E Ink display that can be used for wearables or other applications where a rigid screen may not be the best option. The two companies are partnering to provide the world’s first flexible color displays based around E Ink’s Advanced Color ePaper (ACeP) technology.

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“E Ink is excited to partner with Plastic Logic to offer the world’s first flexible color display technology to customers,” said Johnson Lee, CEO, E Ink. “Plastic Logic's advanced oTFT displays are more robust than traditional amorphous silicon transistors on plastic substrate, which are more suitable for wearable applications.”

“Our new range of Legio flexible color displays will enable customers to bring new color applications to market faster and, we believe, more cost-effectively. Evaluation Kits will be available later this year so that designers can try out the displays in ‘real world’ applications,” Lee added.

Plastic Logic’s advanced oTFT (organic Thin Film Transistor) displays are high-resolution, lightweight and ultra-low-power. They are more rugged than standard glass-based TFTs and are thinner and lighter, making them ideal for applications such as wearables, reports BusinessWire.

E Ink ACeP is a high quality, color reflective electronic paper that can produce full color at every pixel without the use of a color filter array (CFA). Currently, E Ink’s ACeP display has been used in signage applications that do not require flexible form factors. The addition of Plastic Logic’s technology allows for expansion into applications that can require thinner and lighter weight displays.

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“We are very excited to collaborate with E Ink to provide the market with the world’s first plastic displays using ACeP film,” said Tim Burne, CEO, Plastic Logic. “Our flexible, glass-free displays are a perfect addition to any wearable technology designer’s toolkit – they are extremely lightweight, making them well suited for integration into a host of wearables, including smart jewelry and smart clothing.”