It’s no secret that ever since the first full touchscreen smartphones hit the market, keypads and keyboards have slowly disappeared. And while touchscreens have allowed for more screen real estate and greater app functionality, there is still a big fraction of people who prefer a tactile feel when interacting or typing on their smartphones. Now, to address this issue, researchers from the Future Interfaces Group (FIG) at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new technology called “Flat Panel Haptics.”
The Flat Panel Haptics technology uses Embedded Electroosmotic Pumps (EEOPs) stacked under an OLED panel to create protrusions based on different scenarios. Therefore, when an on-screen element requires a pop-up button, fluid fills a section of the EEOP layer and bends the OLED panel on top, creating a button that protrudes from the flat surface by as much as 1.5 mm and providing tactile feedback for users. And when the user or the software dismisses it, the liquid recedes.
“In this work, we present a new approach and vision for miniaturizing haptic shape-changing displays. Flat panel haptics takes inspiration from LCD flat panel visual displays, which embed their actuator element directly in a thin, compact form factor, and allow control of a display element through an applied voltage,” says FIG.
Advantages of the Technology and the Future
While other researchers and companies have attempted to create similar technologies in the past, the required hardware was always too bulky and inconvenient. However, the pumps developed by the Carnegie Mellon team make the entire system compact and thin, with a thickness of just 5mm. Moreover, the technology is self-contained and self-powered and only adds 40 grams of weight to the device.
The FIG believes that this technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with electronics. This is because touch screens, while on one hand, offer ample real estate for apps to display content and other information, they are challenging to navigate for people with visual impairment. Therefore, with the use of tactile touch displays, visually impaired users can use their smartphones without relying on auditory feedback.
2023-04-29 15:05:45