Bending to his will

Visitors try 3-D Virtual Mobile Theater products by Royole Corporation at the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin in early September. [Photo provided to China Daily]

An innovator is rolling out what could be game-changing technology. China Daily reports.

The subway passenger hears his mobile phone go off. He then reaches into his shirt pocket for a pen, unrolling a small sheet from it to take his call.

If Liu Zihong has his way, that is how most people will use their phones－easily wrapped around or embedded in small devices or clothes－in the not-too-distant future.

Liu, also known as Bill Liu, has long dreamed of a world filled with his flexible, thin and ultra-high-definition display technology being used in fields ranging from communication devices and smart vehicles to home appliances, sports and fashion.

His startup company, Royole Corporation, develops the technology. The group, with its three branches in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Fremont, California in the United States, achieved a market valuation of 20 billion yuan ($3 billion) last year.

Since its founding five years ago, his team has grown from five members to more than 1,000 employees from 15 countries.

Major projects include the world's thinnest full-color AMOLED flexible display that is bendable and scrollable. The display is about 0.01 millimeters thick, less than one-fifth the diameter of a strand of human hair.

The technology can also be applied to sensors, virtual reality devices and related "smart" products.

Liu's company has so far applied and reserved more than 1,200 core technology intellectual properties.

The journey to his goals is "gearing up", the 34-year-old says, with more than 10 billion yuan of investment helping the second production line move into operation by the end of the year, when annual output is expected to reach 50 million display modules.