Tactus Introduces Touchscreen Display with Dynamic Physical Buttons that Appear and Disappear

Written on 12 June 2012 by
Category, Tags : Tech

Imagine using a touchscreen smartphone that you can manipulate to show physical buttons and have them disappear again at a whim. Tactus Technology expects to give this seemingly far-off concept a practicable, everyday function. The company has been able to design and develop a unique display which creates physical buttons on the touchscreen, to be used for certain kinds of applications. The physical buttons are also designed to be versatile, as they may feature a digit-display for making calls or an alphanumeric display perfect for texting. In the iPhone and Blackberry dominated smartphone market, for example, this technology integrates the unique display features of the two – the smooth, flat touch display of the iPhone and the good-old buttons of the Blackberry.

Tactus Technology

Dynamic Touch Screens

In their video presentation, the company challenges the widely-accepted notion that “touch screens were only flat.” Tactus Technology is aiming for “dynamic touch screens” which allow users to enjoy the efficiency and elegance of touch screens, while fulfilling the basic human need for touch or tactility.

tactus screen

“The origin of Tactus was back in 2007. Looking at the iPhone and all the elegance of that user interface, I also realized that I like my Blackberry with the buttons.” Tactus Technology CEO Craig Ciesla speaks in the video.  “What a tactile touchscreen is, it’s giving you the ability to have physical buttons that come out of the screen, without giving up anything in a normal touchscreen. That’s been our goal from day one, to make the integration of our technology very easy for our customers.”

CEO Ciesla adds: “As human beings, we really want to be able to feel things, we really want that tactility. The vision for Tactus is that our technology has the ability to become the next-generation user interface… whether it’s for gaming, appliances, navigation, automotive.”

Tactus expects the technology to be available in a few years, at a price that’s easy for the bigger consumer market.

physical touchscreen

Aimee is a creative content writer and post-graduate student whose curiosities include books, design and technology. A self-confessed tech aficionado, she keeps track of the latest technology news – from the hottest, state-of-the-art gadget releases to the most recent developments in social media to bring you what’s hip and happening in the tech and online world- right here, right now. Check this blog for the latest, news-worthiest topics on the web, tech and gadgets.

Leave a Reply



You will also like these posts

  • iPad Mini 2 Will Feature Retina Display, Rumors SayiPad Mini 2 Will Feature Retina Display, Rumors Say
    Months after the iPad Mini made its debut, Apple is already making efforts at releasing its second-generation version, according to DigiTimes. This time, the 2nd gen iPad Mini will feature a higher...
  • Leap Motion Touch-Free Gesture Control Makes Windows 8 More FunctionalLeap Motion Touch-Free Gesture Control Makes Windows 8 More Functional
    Leap Motion is giving us a small taste of the technology that Tony Stark has the pleasure of working (or playing) with on a daily basis. With this latest innovative touch-free controller, you may f...
  • Which Smartphone has the most accurate touch screen ?Which Smartphone has the most accurate touch screen ?
    This is a quite difficult question that will only be answered through scientific benchmarking. This particular test has actually been carried out by Moto, using of an industrial robot. The c...
  • Apple Slide to Unlock now patented in USApple Slide to Unlock now patented in US
    United States Patent & Trademark Office approved the "Slide to Unlock" patent to Apple. In other words, the firm should be the only one able to use it in US. Bad news for Samsung and other Andr...
  • Samsung Tablet of the Future : Transparent and flexibleSamsung Tablet of the Future : Transparent and flexible
    This is probably the future of the Tablet, by Samsung. This device is transparent with a flexible AMOLED Screen. This is actually a tablet-phone that can do many things : conference calls, s...
  • Apple to Launch Bigger Screen for iPhone 5Apple to Launch Bigger Screen for iPhone 5
    In a report first released by the Wall Street Journal, Apple is working to introduce bigger screens for their next batch of iPhones, set to be released this year. People working closely on the proj...
  • New Camera Standard ?New Camera Standard ?
    Will the camera of the future look like this? The idea seems so obvious that it would almost be inclined to say yes it will probably be one of the standards of tomorrow photography. This fut...
  • Tactile Display that moves under your fingersTactile Display that moves under your fingers
    Japanese Giant NEC and Tokyo Institute of Technology developed a prototype of tactile touchscreen that have a directional force Feedback. "This new touch panel concept imparts a directional tact...
  • YOUM, the new flexible unbreakable display from SamsungYOUM, the new flexible unbreakable display from Samsung
    We now know the name of the new brand of flexible displays from Samsung (flexible AMOLED technology) : YOUM. These screens will be thinner, lighter and supposedly unbreakable (they contain n...
  • Cubify : 3D Design Software for 3D printer [CES 2012]Cubify : 3D Design Software for 3D printer [CES 2012]
    3D Systems Corporation will unveil Cubify in CES 2012 : a new easy-to-use design software for 3D Printer. Cubify can be used on a tablet, with a kinect or a smartphone. For those who won't have ...