Swedish scientists have unveiled a screen technology that they say achieves the highest resolution perceptible to the human eye, potentially transforming the realism of virtual and augmented reality experiences.
Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, the University of Gothenburg, and Uppsala University reported in the journal Nature that they had developed “retina E-paper”, a reflective screen with pixels measuring just 560 nanometres.
Each pixel roughly corresponds to a single photoreceptor in the human eye, giving the display a resolution of more than 25,000 pixels per inch, far exceeding current consumer devices.
The technology exploits nanoparticles whose size, arrangement, and optical properties can be precisely tuned to scatter and reflect light in red, green, and blue. A weak electrical signal can switch the particles off, turning the pixels black. The passive screen relies on ambient light rather than a built-in backlight, echoing natural colour effects seen in the plumage of birds.
In a demonstration, the team recreated Gustav Klimt’s painting The Kiss on an area just 1.4 by 1.9 millimetres — roughly 1/4000th the size of a smartphone display.
“The technology we have developed can provide new ways to interact with information and the world around us,” said Kunli Xiong, Associate Senior Lecturer at Uppsala University and lead author of the study. He added that the innovation could enhance remote collaboration, expand creative possibilities, and accelerate scientific research.
Andreas Dahlin, Professor at Chalmers, emphasised that the pixel density surpasses the resolution the human eye can perceive, meaning that images displayed on the screen appear indistinguishable from reality. Giovanni Volpe, Professor at the University of Gothenburg, described the work as “a major step forward” in miniaturising screens while improving quality and lowering energy consumption, although he cautioned that further development is required before commercial applications are realised.
The breakthrough comes as demand grows for high-precision displays capable of transmitting increasingly complex visual information. With micro-LED pixels struggling below one micrometre in size, retina E-paper could offer a solution for next-generation virtual and augmented reality devices.
