We have become accustomed to touching screens with smartphones and tablets, but the typing experience on these screens has not come close to that of a device such as a keyboard so far. Aiming to improve this, researchers have developed a new screen.
Future Interfaces Group (FIG) researchers Craig Shultz and Chris Harrison at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a screen that can protrude on the screen surface in different configurations. It’s a concept we’ve seen before, but this version is thinner, lighter and more versatile.
FIG’s “Flat Panel Haptics” technology can be stacked under the OLED panel to create the protrusions. Imagine screen segments that can be inflated and deflated with liquid on demand. These pop-up media controls are thought to add a new tactile dimension to such devices. Like Apple’s Taptic Engine, it produces vibrations that provide haptic feedback, but it helps you find items on the screen more easily with your fingers. This new technology is thought to be a breakthrough for activities that require fast response times, such as typing and gaming.
“Embedded Electroosmotic Pumps (EEOPs) in Flat Panel Haptics are arrays of fluid pumps on a thin actuation layer placed on a touch device such as a smartphone or car display. When an item on the screen requires a toggle button, the fluid fills part of the EEOP layer and the upper The OLED panel is bent to take this shape. The result is a “button” that protrudes about 1.5mm from the flat surface. After the job is done, this popping button retracts into the screen. The research team said it took about a second to fill each area. He says it feels solid when touched.
It is interesting, is not it? So, what do you think about this issue? Could “inflatable” buttons placed inside the screen in this way replace keyboards?
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