Buttons That Morph Out of Your Touchscreen 134
kkleiner writes "Wouldn't it be awesome if our tablets and smartphones could have buttons that morphed out of the touchscreen, and then went away again when we didn't need them? It sounds like magic, but now it is reality. Created by Tactus Technology, a Fremont, California-based start-up, Tactus is a deformable layer that sits on top of a touchscreen sensor and display. 'The layer is about 0.75mm to 1mm thick, and at its top sits a deformable, clear layer 200 nm thick. Beneath the clear layer a fluid travels through micro-channels and is pushed up through tiny holes, deforming the clear layer to create buttons or shapes. The buttons or patterns remain for however long they are needed, just for a few seconds or for hours when you’re using your iPad to write that novel. And because the fluid is trapped inside the buttons, they can remain for however long without additional power consumption. They come or go pretty quickly, taking only a second to form or disappear.'"
Oh great... (Score:2, Interesting)
Paging Whistler... (Score:5, Interesting)
Assuming that it could also be used to display Braille, rhis tech could probably be rather useful for tablet computers and ebook readers for the blind.
Re:Looks quite ugly (Score:2, Interesting)
Yes, there are prettier solutions coming out soon, like tactile feedback screen from Senseg [engadget.com]
Not All That Useful, Unless... (Score:5, Interesting)
Until then, I am sure a company or two will see this useful for raising a telephone keypad above the rest of the display, for example. I don't see it as more finely-controlled than that, because the screens of different devices differ so much.
Unless it were made into a grid array, it could never be a standard. For long.
Re:Looks quite ugly (Score:4, Interesting)
Probably monitoring the pressure of the fluid in the buttons rather than the surface of the touchscreen while the buttons are up.
Re:What is the problem being solved? (Score:4, Interesting)
Then dont use touchscreens. BMW has it right with the big knob control at the center console. Rotate, push, up down left right. this can easily be added to the steering wheel.
No, that is TOTALLY WRONG. Because now instead of being able to access muscle memory directly and just reach out your arm and press the button you've pressed dozens of times before, you have to look into your memory and remember the sequence of moves, or look at the screen if you forget them. Any system that forces you to look at the screen rather than being able to just fumble around is taking your eyes off the road and therefore shit. A lot of people will never remember the sequences and thus these systems decrease road safety.