Photos: Roll up this laptop

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a laptop that you can roll up as easily as a paper.

By Andy Smith, Contributor on Sept. 27, 2006

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Roll-up laptop

A team of engineers at the U.K.'s University of Cambridge have developed "morphing materials" that have the ability to retain up to three structures--meaning that within five years it could be possible to roll up your laptop screen as easily as a newspaper.

This prototype, made by Keith Seffen, a lecturer in structural engineering at the University of Cambridge, holds the main electronic components by wooden strips on the vertical sides of the screen.

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Rolled-up screen

The screen rolls into an easy-to-carry size, and there's no need to panic if it's dropped on the floor, Seffen said.

The material shown here is a copper alloy, with its structure distorted to produce either two shapes: a flat screen or tube structure. Seffen has developed materials that will hold three shapes and said "we think four shapes are a possibility."

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Less than 1mm thick

The metal itself is less than a millimeter thick.

The Cambridge team is currently developing mathematical models to predict how reliably the material will keep its shape and discover more about the material's limitations.

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