Touchscreens of the Future will be able to Touch Back and Bendable
What's in store for tablets and smartphones in the future? How about bendable screens in your devices that can also create different textures.
Senseg, a haptic tech company is developing a touchscreen that is capable of creating textures that a user can actually feel. Senseg has dubbed this new technology the "feel screen" and it could change the way users interact with their tablets and smartphones.
The project is based on haptic display technology. Haptic displays create an electrostatic field that produces different degrees of friction on parts on the screen. The electrostatic field will transfer a current from the screen to the finger.
"By passing an ultra-low electrical current into the insulated electrode, Senseg's Tixel, the proprietary charge driver can create a small attractive force to finger skin. By modulating this attractive force a variety of sensations can be generated, from textured surfaces and edges to vibrations and more," the company explains in its website.
The applications for this type of touchscreen are actually very exciting to think about. Tablets or smartphones with "feel screens" could have games that the user can actually feel. You could be playing in a level with rocky terrain and you would be able to feel. Virtual keyboards could also feel more realistic with such a display.
Senseg has already developed a prototype of the touchscreen but the company says commercial models won't be ready until 2013.
Meanwhile Samsung has another future concept for tablets. Tablets will be flexible and completely transparent. Samsung has already presented flexible screen technology in smartphones; in fact the company is looking to introduce flexible smartphones in 2012.
Flexible displays have a number of advantages over current non-bendable displays. For one thing bendable screens are more durable and less likely to crack if you accidentally drop it. New applications can make use of the flexible screen. For example players can twist and manipulate the screen based on the game. Still consumers will have to wait until the next year to see this new technology.