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Shape-Shifting Mobile Devices Unveiled
An anonymous reader writes in with news about shape-shifting mobile devices unveiled by researchers from the University of Bristol's Department of Computer Science. "Prototype mobile devices that can change shape on-demand will be unveiled today and could lay down the foundation for creating high shape resolution devices of the future. The research paper (Pdf), to be presented at one of the world's most important conferences on human-computer interfaces, will introduce the term 'shape resolution' and its ten features, to describe the resolution of an interactive device: in addition to display and touch resolution. The research, led by Dr Anne Roudaut and Professor Sriram Subramanian, from the University of Bristol's Department of Computer Science, have used 'shape resolution' to compare the resolution of six prototypes the team have built using the latest technologies in shape changing material, such as shape memory alloy and electro active polymer."
The Dominion wants to be paid royalties
Never put a shape shifting mobe in your back pocket, lest it bite (byte?) you in the ass.
Actually describing what the new technology does? That doesn't seem important... What we need in this summary is technology buzzwords.
The article is a survey of a number of different approaches to reconfigurable materials as applied to mobile devices, and proposes some criteria for how to quantify the "resolution" of the reconfigurability along a number of axes, like morphology and curvature and area and whatnot. I have not read it in enough depth to determine how useful it is as an analytical tool, but it's essentially proposing an analytical tool to use to understand this area and guide further developments.
Incidentally, if you're interested in such materials, you may also be interested in self-reconfiguring modular robots.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
did you not understand? ;-)
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
All they're doing is evaluating memory alloys and electroactive polymers for mobile scenarios, and just barely at that. This is very early stage research, none of what is shown has any nearby practical reliable uses until it's much further developed.