Buttons That Morph Out of Your Touchscreen

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.'"

Comments

Re:blind people dont have problems?

[camperdave]

What are you reminding him about: that he's blind or that he has an iPhone?

... or perhaps you are his boss and you never tire of reminding him to get off the phone and "get back to work!". That's it; isn't it? He's blind, and finances are tight, because his child desperately needs that operation. His wife is at home, looking after their new baby girl, and is trying to pitch in by taking in the neighbour's laundry, even though the doctor told her she needs to stay in bed and get plenty of rest. Childbirth took a lot out of her. He's glad that it is summer now, because the furnace doesn't work very well, at least, not well enough to fend off the winter chill in the drafty old shack that he calls a home. Once his child has the operation, he'll be able to save some money, and fix the leak in the roof, and maybe replace the rotten floorboards by the cracked window. There may even be enough to have the electricity turned back on.

So here he is, consoling his wife, telling her that things are going to work out... somehow. All they have to do is hang on for just a while longer... and you barge in and start yelling at him, calling him a blind fanboi and ordering him back to work, all the while taking some sick sadistic pleasure from it.