Apple's long-rumored all-glass tactile keyboard may be real sooner rather than later
Apple has been working on technologies to elevate glass on demand for keyboards and notifications for a long time, and newly published research from Carnegie Mellon may have a solution.
New research uses tiny hydraulic pumps to create textured displays
The technology could enable smartphones like the iPhone to physically deform a display for various elements, such as notifications. For example, such a display could present a raised bump to inform users of notifications more subtly, such as when the smartphone is in silent mode.
The Future Interfaces Group at Carnegie Mellon University is behind the research, according to TechCrunch. They describe the technology as "embedded electroosmotic pumps for scalable shape displays."
The primary achievement they're claiming is the successful integration of the hydraulic haptic system into a slim panel concealed behind an OLED display, like the ones utilized in modern smartphones. They show their work in a research paper and offer a video demonstration.
{"@context":"https://schema.org/","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Flat Panel Haptics: Embedded Electroosmotic Pumps for Scalable Shape Displays","description":"We present a new, miniaturizable type of shape-changing display using embedded electroosmotic pumps (EEOPs). Our pumps, controlled and powered directly by applied voltage, are 1.5mm in thickness, and allow complete stackups under 5mm. Nonetheless, they can move their entire volume's worth of fluid in 1 second, and generate pressures of +/-50kPa, enough to create dynamic, millimeter-scale tactile features on a surface that can withstand typical interaction forces. These are the requisite technical ingredients to enable, for example, a pop-up keyboard on a flat smartphone. We experimentally quantify the mechanical and psychophysical performance of our displays and conclude with a set of example interfaces. ","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/j_rErbhxNFM/sddefault.jpg","uploadDate":"2023-04-22T22:39:40Z","duration":"PT4M19S","embedUrl":"
"}
The group says their electro-osmotic pumps can be as small as 2mm in diameter, with each pump being individually controllable and supporting fast update rates.
According to the patent, actuators, temperature control devices, and a central control unit are recommended for generating both types of feedback over a designated section of a touch surface. Regarding the actuators, the control unit will activate them to induce vibrations on the display, resulting in a tactile sensation of texture.
In the past, Apple has explored other ways to enhance the tactile experience for its users, as evidenced by the March 2017 patent titled "User Interface having changeable topography," which describes a display that can alter its shape to include raised sections. For instance, this could involve including elevated keys on a keyboard or calculator.
Apple has also done research into using haptic technology for keyboards. In 2022 it was granted a patent for a "keyless keyboard" that would use solid-state haptics technology that would replace physical keyboard kkeys with a glass display utilizing touch-sensing systems.
The patent describes a top layer of glass that features two force-sensing systems for distinct "input regions," as well as a touch-sensing system for detecting the position of the user's fingers. Haptic feedback is delivered through one or more actuators to provide a response for each keystroke.
Read on AppleInsider
New research uses tiny hydraulic pumps to create textured displays
The technology could enable smartphones like the iPhone to physically deform a display for various elements, such as notifications. For example, such a display could present a raised bump to inform users of notifications more subtly, such as when the smartphone is in silent mode.
The Future Interfaces Group at Carnegie Mellon University is behind the research, according to TechCrunch. They describe the technology as "embedded electroosmotic pumps for scalable shape displays."
The primary achievement they're claiming is the successful integration of the hydraulic haptic system into a slim panel concealed behind an OLED display, like the ones utilized in modern smartphones. They show their work in a research paper and offer a video demonstration.
{"@context":"https://schema.org/","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Flat Panel Haptics: Embedded Electroosmotic Pumps for Scalable Shape Displays","description":"We present a new, miniaturizable type of shape-changing display using embedded electroosmotic pumps (EEOPs). Our pumps, controlled and powered directly by applied voltage, are 1.5mm in thickness, and allow complete stackups under 5mm. Nonetheless, they can move their entire volume's worth of fluid in 1 second, and generate pressures of +/-50kPa, enough to create dynamic, millimeter-scale tactile features on a surface that can withstand typical interaction forces. These are the requisite technical ingredients to enable, for example, a pop-up keyboard on a flat smartphone. We experimentally quantify the mechanical and psychophysical performance of our displays and conclude with a set of example interfaces. ","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/j_rErbhxNFM/sddefault.jpg","uploadDate":"2023-04-22T22:39:40Z","duration":"PT4M19S","embedUrl":"
"}The group says their electro-osmotic pumps can be as small as 2mm in diameter, with each pump being individually controllable and supporting fast update rates.
Apple has been working on technology like this for a long time
The technology can go beyond mere notifications, however. For example, Apple was granted a patent in 2019 titled, "Touch surface for simulating materials," in which the company proposes methods to modify a surface to produce a range of sensations that resemble those of diverse textures.According to the patent, actuators, temperature control devices, and a central control unit are recommended for generating both types of feedback over a designated section of a touch surface. Regarding the actuators, the control unit will activate them to induce vibrations on the display, resulting in a tactile sensation of texture.
In the past, Apple has explored other ways to enhance the tactile experience for its users, as evidenced by the March 2017 patent titled "User Interface having changeable topography," which describes a display that can alter its shape to include raised sections. For instance, this could involve including elevated keys on a keyboard or calculator.
Apple has also done research into using haptic technology for keyboards. In 2022 it was granted a patent for a "keyless keyboard" that would use solid-state haptics technology that would replace physical keyboard kkeys with a glass display utilizing touch-sensing systems.
The patent describes a top layer of glass that features two force-sensing systems for distinct "input regions," as well as a touch-sensing system for detecting the position of the user's fingers. Haptic feedback is delivered through one or more actuators to provide a response for each keystroke.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
It’s general properties, availability, easily recyclable, it’s certainly better than plastics for various reasons.
In the 1970s, you might’ve said “ you mean to tell me that someday we will be able to rub on really thin glass and it won’t break? Oh, come on now, you say that there will be an image under this very thin glass that’s lit, and by rubbing the glass you can move this page of information around? What did you say? I think I heard you say that I will be able to push elements that are on that page and rearrange them around like they stuck to my finger? You must be on LSD. Oh no, you didn’t just say that you could use two fingers to pinch a photo to make it smaller that’s behind this glass? You’re beyond LSD, your mental. I just can’t see myself using this. It sounds like you’d have to go to college to learn how to use it”
You might’ve said this stuff in the 1990s, maybe even in 2006, prior to the preview for the iPhone. There were many cynics even after the iPhone was previewed. Many indeed.
I prefer the perspective that this research on new technology, makes me curious. Dismissing it at this early stage seems to lock it out of possibility in our minds. After all, with one of the most respected technical universities, Carnegie Mellon, and the largest tech company in the world—that has been known for innovation—have both been working on it for years, maybe there’s some sliver of hope that this will be useful. Sure it’s possible this may not work, and it might be a high probability that this might not work, but how can we know that at this point.
Again I say: dismissing it offhand at this early stage locks it out of our mind for possibilities for the future.
Stay curious—a good suggestion by Steve Jobs. Stay in a permanent state of curiosity, wonderment, gratitude, and awe. It’s a wonderful way to live your life.
Apple: ooh, glass keyboard!