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Giving Touch-Screen Buttons Depth and Height With Pneumatics

Posted by timothy on from the wait-for-pneumatic-spam dept.

blee37 writes "Researchers at Carnegie Mellon demonstrate 'popping out' touch screen buttons to become physical buttons using pneumatics. The idea is to combine the dynamic reconfigurability of touch screen buttons with the tactile feedback of real buttons. The technology could be applied where tactile feedback is currently lacking, such as in car navigation systems, ATMs, or cell phones."

5 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Oh no... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As opposed to having to stare at the device.... yeah, much worse

  2. Er by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Touch screens are nice because they can be programmed to display whatever controls you wish, but isn't the lack of moving parts another advantage? This seems like it would have MTBF issues.

  3. Visual feedback by Enderandrew · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I assumed I'd have issue with the touch keyboard on the iPhone. However, when I press a key, that key is highlighted and enlarges. I receive visual feedback of the key I pressed, even if I don't have physical feedback. Yes, it requires I look when I text, but I can't imagine many scenarios where I'd really ever text without looking just because there was some physical feedback.

    I'll take the lack of moving parts over the physical feedback, especially given how often I've dropped my phone.

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  4. Having read TFA by fridaynightsmoke · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am left thinking "so what?". All they did was PROJECT graphics onto an inflatable surface, and used a camera and image recognition to determine which 'button' was being pressed.

    I think it's a bit of a stretch to describe this as a 'touch screen'; the image is projected onto the surface (which could be true for ANY surface) and the surface itself does NOT detect touches. There is also no tactile feedback whatsoever. I might as well get one of those laser projection keyboards, set it up on the bonnet of my car and announce that I've made a "self-propelling air-conditioned touchscreen that seats four".

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  5. killer app by jjeffries · · Score: 5, Funny

    The killer app for this will of course be a Timex Sinclair 1000 emulator.