Core77
e
- Topics
- Features
- Awards
- Careers
-
Firms
- Firms
- Search Firms;
- Firm Projects
- Forums
-
More...
- About Us
- Contact Us
- Advertise
- About
- Terms of Use
Core77 is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
Physical interface design: CMU's inflatable buttons will be a game-changer
By Rain Noe - July 21, 2009
When it comes to designing a physical interface, you've got a big choice to make: Go the Blackberry route and spec out proper buttons, which offer tactility but are fixed, or go the iPhone route and opt for a touchscreen, which can display an infinite amount of menus but offer zero tactility.
That choice may soon become moot, thanks to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the novel screen they have produced. Made from latex, portions of the screen can be "pumped up" or "sucked in" using an air pump to create physical buttons. It has to be seen to be believed:
How rad is that? And if they are able to get the buttons smaller, it should be a relatively easy matter to write software that will translate visual text into Braille, opening up touchscreens for use by the visually impaired.
-
oFavorite
-
QComment
-
&
Rain Noe
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
Hiring Now See all industrial design jobs
-
Industrial DesignerStavanger, NorwayLaerdal MedicalOct 23 -
Graphic Designer Sportstyle Apparel CoreHerzogenaurach (91074), GermanyPuma GroupOct 14 -
Industrial DesignerSanta Barbara, CaliforniaSTELOct 13 -
Senior Designer Sportstyle Apparel WomenHerzogenaurach (91074), GermanyPuma GroupOct 13 -
Senior Industrial DesignerAtlanta, GeorgiaTHRIVEOct 11
-
K1:1 | with Michael DiTulloA New Core77 video podcast series. Fresh interviews weekly. Subscribe on Youtube.
-
Most Popular
-
A Product Design That Would Never Work in America or China: "No Stack" Shipping Pyramids
-
Schwalbe Launches a Puncture-Resistant Lightweight Bicycle Tube Made with No Rubber
-
"Why Would Anyone Pay $80,000 for a Pickup Truck?" GMC Design Research Explains
-
When Going Green Backfires: Eco-Friendly Car Wiring in Newer Cars Apparently Attracts Rats
-
-
Hot On Coroflot
-
Design Jobs
gonca basciftci
Elodie Delassus
K
{Welcome
Create a Core77 Account
Already have an account? Sign In
By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use
K
Reset Password
Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.
Physical interface design: CMU's inflatable buttons will be a game-changer