H/t: Gizmodo
Carnegie Mellon University’s Future Interfaces Group (FIG) has developed innovative flat panel haptics that could mean virtual buttons rising up out of the screen using embedded electroosmotic pumps (EEOPs). These pumps, controlled as well as powered directly by applied voltage, measure 1.5mm in thickness, and allow complete stackups under 5mm.
When these EEOPs are paired with a small liquid reservoir beneath, they are capable of moving their entire volume’s worth of fluid in 1 second, and generate pressures of +/-50kPa. This is enough to generate virtual buttons that can withstand typical interaction forces of a touchscreen, whether it be a keyboard or just a small button.
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Touch is so important in our real world, but it is neglected in the digital world. We want to create something that will make touch a reality for people interacting with their screens, and this work is a step in that direction,” said J. Edward Colgate, the Allen and Johnnie Breed University Professor of Design at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering.
