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A Touch Screen With Morphing Buttons

Posted by Soulskill on from the mighty-morphin-power-button dept.

Al writes "Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have created a touch screen that can also produce physical buttons. Graduate student Chris Harrison and professor Scott Hudson use a projector and infrared sensor below the screen to illuminate it and make it touch-sensitive, and the physical buttons are created using air pumps below the surface. They say this type of screen could be particularly useful when a simple, flat touch-screen is too distracting, for example in a vehicle dashboard."

2 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. Been there, done that. by Space+cowboy · · Score: 4, Informative

    Well actually not I, but Apple have - see this patent filing story

    In fact, they mention using air as the actuator, as far back as 2007.

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  2. Re:More distractions. by Gizzmonic · · Score: 1, Informative

    The answer is wait until you are done with whatever you are doing, then use them.

    Sorry, I'm not going to wait. I'm sorry the Prius has a shitty touchscreen design so that I have to look away from the road to mess with the radio or A/C. It's my hot hippie girlfriend's car and obviously she can't drive while she's doing a line of coke off my dong. I simply cannot climax while driving unless I'm blaring "Heat of the Moment" by Asia, so I've got to change it now...ah yes, much better.

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