The transformation of OLED lighting remains elusive, but this does not prevent developers from pursuing novel applications, as a small Canadian company announced a flexible OLED material that can illuminate printed matter in newspapers and magazines.

　　OTI lumionics said that its "aerelight for print" technology utilizes new manufacturing processes and new materials developed by the Toronto manufacturing company.

　　The company did not disclose any details about the manufacturing innovation and the composition of materials.

　　In the live demonstration, it only shows that aerelight is part of the cover of the latest annual edition of a magazine. OTI lumionics, frontier and a Toronto printing production company called flash reproductions work together to embed a flexible OLED panel into a small rectangle, which will illuminate when touched.

　　This is another example of how flexible OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) can go beyond traditional shape factors to expand the lighting range. In another example, Fraunhofer FEP in Germany showed a flexible OLED wristband and said it could be used for medical purposes.

　　Using OLED technology, the "dark" panel on the front cover of Frontier magazine is lit in response to touch. (image source: OTI lumionics / frontier)

　　Unlike LEDs with only a single light spot, OLEDs are multi sheet materials that emit light in response to current, including various flexible and rigid materials. Although they have made great progress in the fields of cars, televisions and smart phone screens, they have not completely changed the lighting field predicted by some people for many years.

　　OLED enthusiasts say soft materials will enable designers to make artificial light sources directly into clothing, furniture, walls, bridges and many other necessities of life, such as printing. However, the development of OLED has been hindered due to the disadvantages of lagging manufacturing cost and energy efficiency. At the same time, led developers are constantly looking for ways to embed LEDs into various materials, so as to achieve the same purpose as OLEDs.