Did you know polar bears have black skin? Some clever people will tell you with a knowing smile that it’s blue, but I just looked it up, and it’s black. This is because black absorbs more heat from the sun. Now you may think that because these cuddly arctic critters want to soak up the sun global warming would get two bear thumbs up, but no, global warming is melting their iceberg habitats leaving them homeless. And I don’t think the YMCA has suitable facilities to cater for bears.

Good news for the bears then as LG Display unveil the world’s largest e-paper, measuring in at an impressive 19 inches. For those not in the know an e-paper is a flexible flat panel display, which mimics the appearance of ink on paper using electronic ink microcapsules. The obvious practical application for this is as an environmentally friendly substitute for newspapers, as e-papers can simply be updated daily for the latest news, thus eliminating the waste that comes with the production and recycling of conventional newspapers.

The e-paper is a mere 0.3 mm thick and weighs in at an impressively light 130 grams. This lightweight flexibility is a result of using an ultra thin transparent metal foil backing as opposed to glass, allowing durability whilst always referring to it’s original shape.  The technology works by reflecting light like ordinary paper without needing a backlight to illuminate its pixels like conventional flat panel displays. This means the e-paper can hold text and images indefinitely with minimal electrical source.

Whilst there is no release date for this A3 sized e-paper, LG Display are planning to launch mass production of an 11.5” flexible e-paper in the next six months!

For further information check out the following links:

http://hcc.techradar.com/blogs/team-hcc/lg-display-creates-worlds-largest-e-paper-15-01-10

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/16/view/780/newspaper-e-reader-by-lg.html

http://www.epapercentral.com/lg-debuts-flexible-epaper.htm

http://www.hitechreview.com/it-products/lg-unveils-world’s-largest-flexible-e-paper/21388/