Samsung has been awarded patents related to flexible displays for a few years now, but one of the most recent patents put forth an artificial muscle for flexible displays that would allow them to bend without the pressure of a human hand when voltage is applied. A new patent awarded to the Korean giant by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) provides more information on the role of the artificial muscle in flexible displays as well as the build quality of the flexible panel itself.
There are two electrode layers with elastomer film in-between, and Samsung says that the flexible display panel will include the use of plastic, particularly polycarbonate, to achieve greater screen flexibility and heat resistance. Think of this flexible display structure as something along the lines of the company's 3D Thermoforming process for the Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S7 edge turned up a notch or two.
Many wonder what Samsung will do with flexible displays, but the company doesn't give any hints in its latest patent. What we can know from the current tech scene is that screens crack and devices break when pressure is applied in unusual ways, and Samsung's latest patent just may put an end to the current device durability concerns. And, as it's been said before, Samsung's flexible display will create the true phone/tablet hybrid and justify the use of the term “phablet” that currently refers to 5-inch and 6-inch smartphones.
