LG is showcasing a handful of futuristic concepts at CES 2016 this week, including an 18 inch prototype of an OLED display that can roll up like a newspaper.

Source: LG

The display has a high-definition resolution of 1200×810 with almost one million mega-pixels and can be rolled up to a radius of 3cm without affecting the function.

OLED screens are composed of LEDs that emit their own light from the lit pixels, conversely to older LCD technology which relies on a backlight to illuminate the display. Many phones such as those produced by Samsung already use OLED panels, but they have so far been entirely inflexible.

LG’s new technology paves the way for smaller electronic devices that can bend – like phones – but LG claims it can be scaled up to the size of a 50 inch television.

The company said the new screens were mounted on a “high molecular substance-based polyimide film” that served as the back plate for the rollable panel. The polyimide film reduces the thickness of the panel which helps to “significantly improve” its flexibility.

The screen is currently just a prototype and can only be rolled up in one direction. It is also quite delicate and can be damaged easily resulting in dead pixels appearing on the display.

LG Display’s KJ Kim said that in the future consumers will be able to roll up their television sets when not in use, although he gave no release date for the new technology.

The display was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas along with a number of other exhibitors such as Samsung who have demonstrated a smart fridge and a television that can act as a wireless hub for the Internet of Things.

Gary Shapiro, one of the organizers of CES, said: “We are in the middle of a revolutionary wave of innovation where game-changing ideas are springing up from small companies and entrepreneurs all over the world.”