Scientists are working on displays that can heal their own scratches
Did you marvel at the advent of the self-healing back on the LG G Flex? While that feature was cool, practical, and useful, it was never a home run for LG in terms of changing the smartphone game.
But scientists may have brought the self-healing concept back in a way that could delight just about anyone: your display could repair itself.
Chao Wang heads up a team of researchers using a new conductive mix of stretchable polymer and ionic salt which, when broken, can stitch itself back together in under 24 hours.
The photo evidence does seem to show a cut being healed, though the “after” shot shows some scarring. How visible that would be without the aid of a microscope remains to be determined, but it’s still a hell of a step from our typical need to cut our losses and get the thing repaired or replaced.
At the least, the ability for a clean break to heal itself shows that display scratches could at least disappear on their own, something I’m sure we all wouldn’t mind. Wang believes the tech can be inside devices like smartphones as soon as 2020, and even more than displays, it could be the perfect material for batteries to ensure separation components remain sturdy over time. Important to all of this is its ability to conduct electricity so as to not interfere with regular usage of smartphones. Fingers crossed that this great technology won’t take long to hit the market.
[via Business Insider]