Il RollableFlex is an attractive flexible screen manufactured by Samsung Display that can be rolled out from just 49mm to 254,4mm, over five times its length. The screen was unveiled at the annual Display Week trade show in Los Angeles alongside another Samsung panel that the company says offers fingerprint reading and blood pressure measurement directly in the OLED panel, without the need for a separate module .
Aside from its maximum and minimum lengths, details on the Rollable Flex in Samsung Display's press release are relatively limited and it is poco clear what its overall size or resolution is. The company says the panel unrolls on an "O-shaped axis like a scroll," allowing it to "transform a large, hard-to-transport display into a portable format."
The Sensor OLED Display, on the other hand, seems to have interesting implications for future smartphones. First, unlike the in-screen fingerprint sensors used in most modern phones, the Sensor OLED Display “can recognize fingerprints anywhere on the screen“. This would theoretically make it much quicker and easier to unlock a phone using your fingerprint.
Potential in measuring health
But perhaps even more interesting is its ability to measure a person's "heart rate, blood pressure and stress level" from its fingers. The technology works by reading the light from the OLED screen as its reflection changes due to the "contraction and relaxation of blood vessels inside the finger". Samsung Display's press release shows one-finger operation, but also mentions reading this information by two fingers at the same time for more accurate measurement of blood pressure performed on both arms.
All of this functionality is built-in directly into the OLED screen itself, without the need for a separate module like most modern fingerprint sensors. It's unclear how accurate these readings might be, how long the process takes, or if they can be done at the same time as using fingerprints for authentication. However, the Sensor OLED Display opens up exciting possibilities for future smartphones that could offer health monitoring features normally found in wearables.
Samsung Display does not manufacture consumer devices directly, so it is up to other companies or divisions of Samsung to purchase these displays and integrate them into actual products. Still, announcements like these are an interesting indication of the types of devices that could be arriving in the near future.
