Researchers in Sweden have developed a display technology with the smallest pixels ever made, capable of producing the highest resolution the human eye can perceive.
The breakthrough could redefine the future of virtual and augmented reality by creating visuals that look identical to real life.
Scientists from Chalmers University of Technology, the University of Gothenburg, and Uppsala University collaborated on the study.
Their innovation, called retina E-paper, uses nanoparticles to control how light scatters, achieving lifelike color reproduction that can be tuned electrically.
The clarity of a screen depends on the size and number of its pixels. But current technologies like micro-LEDs hit a limit when pixels shrink below one micrometer.
Retina E-paper breaks that barrier with pixels measuring just 560 nanometres, smaller than the wavelength of visible light.
Nanoparticles of tungsten oxide control each pixel’s optical behavior.
By varying their size and arrangement, the researchers can fine-tune how light reflects, creating red, green, and blue hues. A small voltage can “switch off” the pixels, turning them black.
“This means that each pixel roughly corresponds to a single photoreceptor in the eye, i.e. the nerve cells in the retina that convert light into biological signals.
Humans cannot perceive a higher resolution than this,” said Andreas Dahlin, Professor at Chalmers University of Technology.
The display area matches the size of a human pupil and achieves a resolution beyond 25,000 pixels per inch (ppi), which is about 150 times denser than most smartphone screens.
Reflective screen mimics nature
Unlike LED or OLED displays, retina E-paper does not emit its own light. Instead, it reflects ambient light, similar to how bird feathers shimmer with color.
This approach drastically reduces energy consumption and allows the screen to be placed very close to the eye.
To demonstrate the technology, the team recreated Gustav Klimt’s painting ‘The Kiss’ on a surface just 1.4 by 1.9 millimeters, roughly one four-thousandth the area of a smartphone display.
Despite the tiny size, the image retained impressive detail.
“The technology that we have developed can provide new ways to interact with information and the world around us.
It could expand creative possibilities, improve remote collaboration, and even accelerate scientific research,” said Kunli Xiong, Assistant Professor at Uppsala University and lead author of the study.
Towards immersive virtual worlds
Researchers believe retina E-paper could transform how humans experience digital environments.
Its lifelike color accuracy and ultra-high pixel density make it ideal for compact devices such as VR or AR headsets.
“This is a major step forward in the development of screens that can be shrunk to miniature size while improving quality and reducing energy consumption,” said Giovanni Volpe, Professor at the University of Gothenburg.
“The technology needs to be fine-tuned further, but we believe that retina E-paper will play a major role in its field and will eventually have impact on us all.”
By replicating the visual fidelity of reality, retina E-paper brings science closer to creating virtual worlds that the human eye cannot distinguish from the real one.
The study is published in the journal Nature.