New Display Technology Could Enable Thinner Phones

It seems that devices keep getting thinner and thinner, which makes us think about just how thin our smartphones and other devices can really get. If a development by engineers at Queen's University Human Media Lab is any indication, our future phones may be a lot thinner than you might think. The engineers have created a "PaperPhone." As you might assume from its name, this slim smartphone is so thin that it's almost like paper. In fact, it can even bend like paper, and you actually control the phone by bending the device.

The PaperPhone can memorize bend points and directions and will respond with different actions depending on how you bend the phone. The developers hope the technology could replace current smartphone technology in as little as five years. However that may be an optimistic goal, especially since the current prototype uses a monochrome display and requires a rigid border for things such as the power supply.

One thing is for sure: It's a very unique concept and we'll be interested to see if anything comes of it in the future. Check out a demo video below.