Waveface: the monitor with the shrinking screen

Asus has unveiled a concept display called Waveface Casa that physically changes size depending on what it’s being used for.

The display has a retractable cover that slides in and out to match the amount of screen space being used at the time. So when the screen is only being used for email, for example, the cover slides in to form a more compact screen, but fully expands when the Casa is being used to watch a HD movie.

The Casa is only one of a trio of concept devices in the Waveface family that are on show on the Asus stand at CES in Las Vegas. The Waveface Light is an A4-sized flexible display that can be folded like a piece of paper to create a laptop-style configuration with on-screen keyboard.

The slender touchscreen display includes wireless connectivity, allowing the device to be used for anything from web browsing to watching internet television on the sofa.

The final device in the family is the Waveface Ultra, a flexible display that is worn around the wrist like a high-tech bangle. The Ultra supports gesture controls, allowing the user to scroll through lists of appointments or contacts. It can also be rolled flat and used to display digital photos.

All three devices are only at the concept stage, although Asus’s marketing manager John Swatton claims they “could be [launched] five years from now, or it could be only a couple of years”.