Nokia Builds a Touchscreen Display Made of Ice 66

Posted by samzenpus on Sunday November 21, 2010 @10:19AM from the cold-touch dept.

hasanabbas1987 writes "Touchscreens have been with us for quite some time now and we have seen all kinds of them: resistive touch, capacitive, multi-touch, etc. However, Nokia's research lab in Tampere, Finland has developed a rather unique kind of touchscreen: a touchscreen made of ice. Well, to be honest, it's not really a touchscreen for everyday use, nor is it very portable, as the rig includes a projector and some infrared cameras (PDF) which are connected to a computer, but after all it's a touchscreen made out of ice and that is quite remarkable. Nokia says this 'playful experiment' reveals that interactive touch displays can be built anywhere, and we are very sure that Mr. Freeze from Batman will be highly interested in the project."

Nokia Builds a Touchscreen Display Made of Ice

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After what break? (Score:5, Informative)

by netsharc ( 195805 ) writes: on Sunday November 21, 2010 @10:22AM (#34298186)

Wow, nice straight copy and paste job of the blog post there...

- Direct link to article (Score:4, Informative)
  
  by minsk ( 805035 ) writes: on Sunday November 21, 2010 @11:28AM (#34298514)
  
  For anyone who doesn't feel like clicking through the slow copy-and-paste blog to get to the actual NewScientist article:
  http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20827875.800-worlds-first-ice-touchscreen-virtually-burns.html
  
  - Sorry, forgot /. doesn't auto-link http:// (NT) (Score:2)
    
    by minsk ( 805035 ) writes:
    
    No text. Really.
Nokia finally listened (Score:2, Funny)

by mhh91 ( 1784516 ) writes:

to the voices of the north pole population
Maybe there IS a use for it... (Score:2, Interesting)

by Anonymous Coward writes:

Be kind of interesting if they made this for that "Ice Hotel" that gets built every so often.
- Re:Maybe there IS a use for it... (Score:5, Interesting)
  
  by 0100010001010011 ( 652467 ) writes: on Sunday November 21, 2010 @10:45AM (#34298308)
  
  "Every so often"? I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's probably built regularly around once a year. Usually around the same time to boot.
  
  - Re:Maybe there IS a use for it... (Score:5, Informative)
    
    by Securityemo ( 1407943 ) writes: on Sunday November 21, 2010 @11:27AM (#34298512) Journal
    
    Yah, I live in Kiruna (you can see the site from the hill across my house if you have a good set of binoculars). The Ice Hotel gets rebuilt from ice blocks hauled up from the frozen Torne river every year. I believe it's some sort of collaborative art/architechtural project as far as the actual design and building goes, but I'm not really sure. It's privately owned, in any case.
    
    - Re: (Score:2)
      
      by sznupi ( 719324 ) writes:
      
      It seems the Ice Hotel is made more out of snow, similar to this [wikipedia.org] - how does it manage to pass building regulations?! ;)
      Either way, it nicely adds to the already "fun" ;) neighborhood - together with space academic departments, an European spaceport that's actually in Europe or, in the future, Spaceport Sweden... (could be interesting during arctic night / maybe even inside an aurora) ...NVM moving the town (even if buildings being simply torn down seems to be ignoring great opportunity ;) )
  - Re:Maybe there IS a use for it... (Score:4, Funny)
    
    by mickwd ( 196449 ) writes: on Sunday November 21, 2010 @11:34AM (#34298574)
    
    ...around once a year. Usually around the same time to boot.
    Man, they need to work on those init scripts. Get some services starting in parallel.....
    
  - Every Year (Score:3, Interesting)
    
    by Tideflat ( 1858480 ) writes:
    
    They do it every year in Quebec. see: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/06/earlyshow/living/travel/main1183527.shtml [cbsnews.com]
- Re: (Score:3, Funny)
  
  by camperslo ( 704715 ) writes:
  
  Well, it looks like we have a new toy for those spy shows. It'd be kinda funny to see images on an ice cube in s cocktail, with a tongue touch interface. Another reason to hire spies with long tongues...
  But will they be able to power it all from a slice of lemon? Toothpick WiFi antenna... Olive processor.
Cool (Score:2)

by rossdee ( 243626 ) writes:

It would work well here in Minnesota durring the 5 months of winter
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by ColdWetDog ( 752185 ) writes:
  
  It would work well here in Minnesota durring the 5 months of winter
  No No No! It's infrared! It would melt everything. Besides, it would likely exacerbate Global Warming.
- Re:Cool (Score:5, Funny)
  
  by AdmiralXyz ( 1378985 ) writes: on Sunday November 21, 2010 @10:43AM (#34298284)
  
  Cool
  Icy what you did there.
  
  - Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)
    
    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) writes: on Sunday November 21, 2010 @12:41PM (#34298992)
    
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    
    - Re: (Score:2, Funny)
      
      by Amorymeltzer ( 1213818 ) writes:
      
      Well, what are your remedies? You going to give him the cold shoulder?
Just to clarify (Score:4, Informative)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday November 21, 2010 @10:32AM (#34298238)

It's not really a "touch screen" like on an iPad et al, it's really a "touch surface" like on the Microsoft Surface [wikipedia.org].

Styluses (Score:1)

by AnonymousClown ( 1788472 ) writes:

I'll be sure to have a glass of Scotch or Bourbon to use as a stylus.
cool (Score:2, Insightful)

by weorthe ( 666189 ) writes:

Just don't put your tongue on it.
- - Re: (Score:2, Funny)
    
    by Anonymous Coward writes:
    
    Well, that's because you are not apple fanboi.. They are seen licking their own, er, devices...
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by hedwards ( 940851 ) writes:
  
  Sigh, you do realize that that's an urban legend, right? Your tongue can't stay stuck there for very long as both your tongue and your breath have heat. You just pull in closer and breath on the pole. It comes unstuck quite quickly.
  - Re: (Score:2)
    
    by Sir_Lewk ( 967686 ) writes:
    
    You realize it still hurts like hell right? Speaking from personal experience, I can assure you that "don't lick metal poles during winter" is very sound advice.
    - Re: (Score:2)
      
      by sznupi ( 719324 ) writes:
      
      What I want to know - why would anybody lick metal poles at any time of the year?
no fingerprints? (Score:1)

by Cyko_01 ( 1092499 ) writes:

Maybe this could solve the problem of leaving fingerprints behind (for people to lift and mimic) in high security areas. Just use it and when you are done you can just melt it down or blast the surface with a blow torch.
Limited applications? (Score:2)

by gilesjuk ( 604902 ) writes:

Maybe David Blaine will have one next time he stands outside in a block of ice?
More details (Score:5, Informative)

by minsk ( 805035 ) writes: on Sunday November 21, 2010 @10:57AM (#34298364)

That work was just published at the ACM Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces conference, so there is a rather more coherent explanation (and another video) at:
http://www.dfki.de/its2010/papers/sp199.html [www.dfki.de]
(Not affiliated with either group, but ITS was a lot of fun)

Suitable for cold climates, I'm sure. (Score:2)

by LongearedBat ( 1665481 ) writes:

In really cold weather regular touch screens would probably freeze up and stop working from the cold. So an ice touch screen would be perfect, especially for a cold place such as Finland. Well, at least for part of the year.

Do you think the elves who work for Santa Claus at the North Pole would be interested in this?
- Re: (Score:3, Funny)
  
  by Sulphur ( 1548251 ) writes:
  
  Do you think the elves who work for Santa Claus at the North Pole would be interested in this?
  All the elves at this year's New Elves Workshop got icePods.
  - Re: (Score:2)
    
    by LongearedBat ( 1665481 ) writes:
    
    ROFL =D
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by Sir_Lewk ( 967686 ) writes:
  
  With the amount of power the lamps in projectors take, I think you could pretty easily heat a normal display to keep it operational.
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by sznupi ( 719324 ) writes:
  
  The location is actually not North Pole, but some place in the Lapland region of...Finland. Only fitting / I'm sure there's more to the story with this touchscreen.
- Re: (Score:3, Informative)
  
  by minsk ( 805035 ) writes:
  
  Blame the idiotic coverage rather than the folks building the wall. They're well aware it was just a cool (sorry) art piece. And shared their experiences for anyone who wants to build or build on the design.
What about frosted glass? (Score:1)

by Meshuggah24 ( 1683458 ) writes:

Why ice? Wouldn't frosted glass work just as well? And wouldn't that be able to be applied anywhere all year round instead of just cold areas. Is there some special light property ice has?
- Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
  
  by minsk ( 805035 ) writes:
  
  Fun :)
  And shared experience, so someone else will have a little less tinkering to do when they look at this and go "Hey, I wonder if I could..."
actually (Score:1)

by BlackBloq ( 702158 ) writes:

MR Freeze would hate this. He is cold as ice so the device wouldn't work for him.
what the hell does "after the break" mean? (Score:1)

by PJ6 ( 1151747 ) writes:

It *might* make sense to include a note about the page layout in the text beyond simply "see below" if everyone's browser window were always the same size. I usually see "after the break" in the middle of a page, and I'm always like - What break? Where? What the hell are you talking about? Does it mean something I'm not getting, or are the authors really that stupid?
- - Re: (Score:1)
    
    by PJ6 ( 1151747 ) writes:
    
    Yeah, no, I'm not talking about the ./ post, but the article it points to, and all those like it.
Don't use your tongue... (Score:4, Funny)

by Trip6 ( 1184883 ) writes: on Sunday November 21, 2010 @11:46AM (#34298646)

...gives "Sticky Keys" new meaning...

- Re: (Score:1)
  
  by EricFr ( 1611979 ) writes:
  
  sticking to ice is usually only a 5 second problem, sticking to a metal pole however....
That's ice and all, but... (Score:5, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday November 21, 2010 @11:58AM (#34298728)

I give it a couple of months before it becomes vaporware.

As long as it's not... (Score:2)

by TeethWhitener ( 1625259 ) writes:

...Ice-nine.
Nerd Up (Score:2)

by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) writes:

I think Superman may have prior art.
Know your audience (Score:2)

by roc97007 ( 608802 ) writes:

"from batman" was unnecessary. All the geeks here know who Mr. Freeze is.
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by The_mad_linguist ( 1019680 ) writes:
  
  Governor of California, right?
The end of the video... (Score:5, Funny)

by orphiuchus ( 1146483 ) writes: on Sunday November 21, 2010 @01:00PM (#34299132)

"The system could be used in cold countries for interactive displays..." I couldn't help but laugh at that. I just imagine them showing up in Alaska planning to sell this to all the Eskimo's to use in their igloos and being shocked that they actually have heated homes now.

- Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
  
  by Anonymous Coward writes:
  
  Yeah, cause Finns know nothing about cold weather what with only a quarter of the country inside the Arctic circle.
We Eskimos have always been forgotten... (Score:1)

by Brafil ( 1933028 ) writes:

... now we finally have touch screens! *goes off buys Nokia smartphone*
Mr. Freeze? (Score:2)

by Yvan256 ( 722131 ) writes:

Forget about Mr. Freeze, this is the kind of technology that is welcomed by all Canadians!
Now we just need ice (Score:1)

by mysidia ( 191772 ) writes:

Ice that doesn't melt at room temperature.
Otherwise, this product could have a very short lifetime after purchase.....
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by sznupi ( 719324 ) writes:
  
  Be careful what you wish for... [wikipedia.org] (that said, some form of pykrete based on translucent fibers could largely do the trick, especially for various values of "room temperature")
That's nothing, 3-D camera made of ice (Score:1)

by k2backhoe ( 1092067 ) writes:

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IceCube_Neutrino_Observatory [wikipedia.org] Now that's real Icegeneering!
Superman needs this... (Score:1)

by Mattness ( 636060 ) writes:

Perfect for the Fortress of Solitude secret project they've not yet announced up there in the land of snow and ice.
leanspa (Score:1)

by johnniegonzalez ( 1945092 ) writes:

go to the phone settings and click enable the option operator logo on, the phone will automatically save your logo however,it is not possible to have it in the standbymode as your phone doesnot support that feature.. http://twitter.com/leanspaacia1 [twitter.com]
Hand Zambonis (Score:2)

by T.E.D. ( 34228 ) writes:

After extended use, an ice touchscreen would probably become a bit pitted. I see a nice new market for Zamboni!
Global Warming? (Score:1)

by Dabido ( 802599 ) writes:

Oh great, and in ten years we'll be running out of ice and need to mine something else to make touch screens!!!!
Now if we only knew what they were made of! (Score:2)

by radtea ( 464814 ) writes:

I've only read the headline, but it left me wondering: "What on Earth are these things made of?"
It's too bad the headline doesn't provide any information at all about the composition of these displays. For some reason the /. editors have opted for some non-geeky marketing-speak that completely ignores the facts and instead goes for... well, something, I guess. I don't know what.
I guess they think people here are dumb enough to go read a summary with a deliberately misleading headline, and then go and rea

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After what break? (Score:5, Informative)

Direct link to article (Score:4, Informative)

Sorry, forgot /. doesn't auto-link http:// (NT) (Score:2)

Nokia finally listened (Score:2, Funny)

Maybe there IS a use for it... (Score:2, Interesting)

Re:Maybe there IS a use for it... (Score:5, Interesting)

Re:Maybe there IS a use for it... (Score:5, Informative)

Re: (Score:2)

Re:Maybe there IS a use for it... (Score:4, Funny)

Every Year (Score:3, Interesting)

Re: (Score:3, Funny)

Cool (Score:2)

Re: (Score:2)

Re:Cool (Score:5, Funny)

Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)

Re: (Score:2, Funny)

Just to clarify (Score:4, Informative)

Styluses (Score:1)

cool (Score:2, Insightful)

Re: (Score:2, Funny)

Re: (Score:2)

Re: (Score:2)

Re: (Score:2)

no fingerprints? (Score:1)

Limited applications? (Score:2)

More details (Score:5, Informative)

Suitable for cold climates, I'm sure. (Score:2)

Re: (Score:3, Funny)

Re: (Score:2)

Re: (Score:2)

Re: (Score:2)

Re: (Score:3, Informative)

What about frosted glass? (Score:1)

Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

actually (Score:1)

what the hell does "after the break" mean? (Score:1)

Re: (Score:1)

Don't use your tongue... (Score:4, Funny)

Re: (Score:1)

That's ice and all, but... (Score:5, Funny)

As long as it's not... (Score:2)

Nerd Up (Score:2)

Know your audience (Score:2)

Re: (Score:2)

The end of the video... (Score:5, Funny)

Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

We Eskimos have always been forgotten... (Score:1)

Mr. Freeze? (Score:2)

Now we just need ice (Score:1)

Re: (Score:2)

That's nothing, 3-D camera made of ice (Score:1)

Superman needs this... (Score:1)

leanspa (Score:1)

Hand Zambonis (Score:2)

Global Warming? (Score:1)

Now if we only knew what they were made of! (Score:2)

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