Researchers at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) have unveiled a new approach to stretchable OLED displays that can maintain image quality even when deformed - a challenge that has limited their use beyond wearables and niche electronics.
Conventional stretchable displays blur or lose definition when stretched. In some designs, pixels simply enlarge, which the authors note is “suitable for lighting and phototherapy applications” but unsuitable for displays where resolution matters. In others, gaps open between light-emitting “islands,” creating blank spaces and disrupting the image.
The KAIST team’s solution is to overlap multiple sub-pixels in the same location. At rest, these behave as a single pixel. When the display is stretched, the hidden pixels separate and become visible, filling gaps and maintaining pixel density. In lab tests, a prototype passive-matrix array clearly displayed letters in both its original and stretched states.
Mechanical durability was another focus: the displays were stretched through 10,000 cycles while retaining stable luminance. The researchers also addressed strain distribution with patterned adhesives and electrode design, showing how to reduce stress concentrations that typically shorten device lifetime.
OLED technology was chosen because its “areal” light emission avoids the shadowing and bright-spot issues of point sources such as micro-LEDs, which could make scaling more practical. The fabrication process also drew on established methods such as vacuum deposition on PET substrates and laser patterning.
While the work remains at the research stage, the key point is that stretchable no longer has to mean blurred or broken images. For AV professionals, that distinction is significant: only a stretchable display that preserves clarity under deformation could eventually find its way into larger-format applications, from adaptive signage to immersive environments.
Read the full Nature article here.
Top image credit: Anatolir/Shutterstock.com
This story is based on research published in npj Flexible Electronics:
H. Kim, Y.H. Hwang, J. Chang, et al. “Integrated stretchable displays with integrated pixel density via overlapped pixels,” npj Flexible Electronics 9, Article 91 (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41528-025-00438-z