Flat Touchscreens with Physical Buttons that Magically Grow Out of Them

[Agschmid]

We were excited when we first heard about Tactus Technology, a company that created a way for physical buttons to morph up out of a touchscreen. But it was nearly three years ago when we first encountered one of their prototypes. Now, however, the wait may be over. The company has announced they're releasing an iPad Mini cover called Phorm that features their magic button technology.



The Phorm works by embedding blisters that, when triggered via a physical switch, swell up with fluid inside the transparent, touch-capacitive and otherwise flat screen cover.

Pretty cool stuff, video at the link!

[NYC_SKP]

1. Back in the day we called that an "LSD Trip"!

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Wow, dude, check it out: Flat Touchscreens with Physical Buttons that Magically Grow Out of Them.

[Agschmid]

3. Haha yes that sounds right!

[Major Nikon]

11. But you don't have to worry about getting back from Narnia after you walk in the closet

[hunter]

2. On Star Trek TNG the same thing was accomplished with force fields.

But I'm a fossil. It goes against my nature to touch a display screen and I like old-fashioned mechanical switches, pushbuttons, keyboards, and dials.

[In_The_Wind]

4. Well! That was enlightening.

Now I feel like a dinosaur.

[Chan790]

5. This does not appeal to me. n/t

[eppur_se_muova]

6. The OBVIOUS application of this is for BRAILLE documents.

Imagine docs containing Braille on top of printed text ... OCR could do the Braille conversion on the fly ... you'd probably have to make the text larger, but it would make it possible to email and download documents for the blind ... that could be very important for many people with partial or total blindness

[Agschmid]

7. That would be very cool!

[hifiguy]

8. This sounds like something out of one of Michio Kaku's

"Physics of the Future" books. Cool.

[olddots]

9. why do I still want to make love with Selma Hyatt ?

this stuff will never replace sex , drugs and rock &roll

[Manifestor_of_Light]

10. Good question.

I think you're talking about Salma Hayek. But I get the idea. I got my rockstar crushes. Saw one of them, Sting, in January.

Won't replace sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.