Electrically-driven shape-shifting OLED display
Researchers in South Korea have developed a smartphone sized OLED display that can change its shape and act as a speaker with a piezoelectric actuator.
The team at the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) used asymmetrical strain engineering on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) with a piezoelectric polymer actuator. This created achieved bidirectional and complex deformations through electrical signals, eliminating the need for mechanical hinges or external motors
Most bendable, foldable, rollable, and stretchable displays still rely on mechanical structures such as hinges, sliders, or motorized arms. While these allow for shape adjustment, they also result in increased thickness, added weight, and limited flexibility in the form factor design. These drawbacks are particularly restrictive for smartphones and wearable electronics.
Integrated into a flexible OLED panel, the PVDF actuator uses polarization and applied electric field to drive a variety of complex forms—not only concave curves, but also convex, S-shaped, inversed S-Shaped and wave-like configurations that respond dynamically, almost like a display in motion.
The same actuator can also generate vibrations in response to high-frequency electrical signals, allowing the OLED panel to function as a speaker. This means the display surface itself emits sound, completely removing the need for traditional speaker hardware.
“This is the first technology to combine freeform shape morphing and built-in sound output in a single ultra-thin OLED panel, without external components,” said Professor Su Seok Choi from the Department of Electrical Engineering.
“We preserved everything OLEDs are known for—thinness, flexibility, and lightweight—and expanded their functionality in a whole new direction of complex and dynamic shape morphing with additional sound emission.”
Potential applications range from morphing mobile displays, immersive automotive dashboards, and audiovisual wearables, to soft robots with interactive, expressive surfaces.
www.nature.com/articles/s41528-025-00396-6
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