Cell Phone discussion [keep the flames down]
- Thread starter JerzeyLegend
- Start date
TheGurw
Well-Known Member
Bi-stable electrically responsive gel. Cool application! I wonder if they can get it small enough and accurate enough to eliminate the need for text-to-speech for visually impaired persons by implementing Braille...then I'd be suitably impressed. Otherwise, it's just another weird feature that I'd probably end up shutting off or breaking.
JerzeyLegend
Well-Known Member
I'm just imagining someone popping one of the raised letters. Wierd goo all over your screen. I also feel like eventually the film would get saggy in the spots its been a lot.
TheGurw
Well-Known Member
The technology has been around for years, I've had the chance to work with it before. I think the way they explained it was poor. The gel bonds with the film in such a way that the film won't sag for years. Also, if you do manage to pop it, just clean and replace it. The gel comes attached to the film.
JerzeyLegend
Well-Known Member
Is it something that must be preinstalled? I assume it has to be fed data somehow.
TheGurw
Well-Known Member
Your touchscreen is a big electrical field. It works when the conductive oils on your skin create a path between two points, which reduces the potential difference between those points. It's a simple program to increase the current temporarily between points to create a circle, which causes the gel to grow. Because it's a bistable gel, it only needs the initial power to swell, and then it holds that shape until a second input causes it to shrink. From my experience, if you tap the "bubble" with a short, hard impact (like flicking it), it will shrink again (the impact creates a piezoelectric potential, similar to how gas stove lighters work). They will probably fix that before general release.
TL;DR: No, it won't necessarily need to be pre-installed, the screen will likely have to be specialized for that film and gel, though. Probably not going to be available for current-market phones.