Flexible color ePaper displays could soon adorn your clothes
Whenever the runways of Paris, London, Milan and New York open back up, designers might be showing off looks adorned with flexible color ePaper displays. E Ink has teamed up with Plastic Logic to make the first such panels based on its Advanced Color ePaper (ACeP) tech.
The glass-free organic Thin Film Transistor (oTFT) displays are lightweight and ultra low-power. E Ink claims they’re more durable, thinner and lighter than glass-based TFTs. That, according to the company, makes oTFT displays “ideal” for wearables. For instance, designers could build the Legio-branded displays into smart clothing and jewelry. Until now, ACeP displays have mainly been used for signage, which of course doesn’t require panels to be flexible.
The first Legio panel is a 2.1-inch, 240 x 146-pixel display with support for six colors, including black and white. It’s powered by an Ultrachip UC8156 single-chip controller.
While ePaper might not be as much of a big deal as it used to, the Legio displays certainly have some potential, especially if they start making their way onto wearables and smart clothing.
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