A start-up company in California, Tactus Technologies has developed new technology that enables physical buttons to appear and disappear on touchscreens.
The technology, although not ready for full release, has been in development for four years and was recently displayed at the Society for Information Display exhibition in Boston on May 6, 2012, where some of the most innovative technologies in the field of display were showcased.
The buttons are formed on additional tactile layer which measures only one millimeter, and adds very little mass or thickness to existing devices such as smartphones and tablets The layer can be added to almost any device that is enabled with touch screen technology, but must be integrated by the manufacturers of the specific devices.
Channels within the layer are filled with non-toxic oil. When the system is enabled, the pressure in the channel is increased and the buttons rise up out of the layer. The layer can be designed to deform into any shape, height or size as required.
The tactile response that many users appear to miss in current touchscreen devices can now be enabled with the micro-fluid technology.
Pressing a key on a touchscreen produces practically no response, but now, thanks to the new technology, some feedback can be provided.
At the moment there may be some limitations, as the shape and orientation of the buttons are predetermined and cannot be altered. In the future, as the technology is refined, it is expected that option to design buttons and controls with more layouts or configurations may be made possible.
In the longer run, it may be the end user, who will ultimately decide the size and shape of the controls, and the type of response they wish to receive.
An additional benefit comes in the form of lower power consumption. The system is designed so that no power is required after the keys are formed, and the buttons stay up for an indefinite period until the system is disabled, and the buttons disappear.
Immediate applications for the technology may be smartphones and tablets, but Tactus Technologies envisions the haptics technology being deployed in wider areas such as automobiles or perhaps any where pressure-sensitive feedback is desired.
In a recently published press release, the company announced it has recently signed an agreement with a unit of TPK Holding ,which is perhaps the world's largest maker of capacitive touchscreens, and full roll-out of the technology can be expected in 2013.
