EWING, N.J., June 23 -- Universal Display Corp. received a $1 million, 18-month contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a flexible organic LED flat panel display. The development would mean that the shape of the displays could be manipulated to accommodate different situations, such as being mounted on a helmet or put into a person's pocket, said Universal Display.
Universal Display will demonstrate the effectiveness of flexible displays in military applications as part of the contract. Transparent and opaque flexible organic LED displays in 1/4 video graphics array format will be used for the demonstrations. Flexible displays are thinner, portable, and more durable than current displays, said Universal Display. Research findings resulting from Universal Display's development of active matrix organic LED's will also be provided for DARPA.
Flexible flat panel displays offer tremendous benefits to military and commercial markets, says Steven V. Abramson, president of Universal Display. By making displays flexible, manufacturers can conceivably develop products that bend, wrap around another object, or roll up when not in use. The applications for military and consumer uses are then boundless.