Although touchscreen and multi-touch are the future, many of us miss the analog age of dials and buttons… Tactility is something we’re all looking for, while keeping the advantages of modern technologies. Salvation could come from the new tech that uses flexible surfaces and air pumped into chambers:
The display technology showcased above is based on air chambers that can turn into buttons, signs and any other symbol perceived by humans, perhaps even Braille signs. The sensitivity of the touchscreen will be kept thanks to Microsoft Surface-like IR rear-projection touch-detection.
This not quite the 3D display we were waiting for, with its shape shifting abilities, ready to transform into any desired shape, but we’re moving into the right direction. Right now, the technology is limited, the screen can only go into a “puffed” or “sucked” state, only displaying 2 different shapes on screen, but this is a mere concept of the real tech.
[via Crunchgear]
