E Ink Has Screens That Crumple Like Paper

A Kindle’s one thing, but what about clear digital displays you could mash around like a plastic bag? Bendable screens have long been a tech prototype phantom, but E Ink’s got the goods – and it could actually be useful!

Take, for example, their demo of a Tyvek bag with an embedded E Ink display – PopSci nails the material’s potential: “Envelopes could be sturdy and reusable, with shippers simply changing the shipping address on the screen rather than tossing the envelopes.” Or how about hospital gowns with a patient’s vital signs and ID displayed? Reusable name tags! Reprogrammable signage! Real newspapers that refreshed with the day’s info! It’ll be some time before this scrunchable display goes from prototype to mainstream, but the things we carry (and maybe even wear) might be changed. Although I will say right now in 2011 that I refuse to ever wear an E Ink shirt. Sorry. [PopSci via The Digital Reader]