UK University Team Develops Touch Screens That Can Be Squishy When Pushed By A Finger

July 29, 2024 by Dave Haynes

Researchers at a UK university have come with what they suggest is a new kind of touchscreen technology that’s squishy and responds to the user’s finger pressure, becoming softer or stiffer.

Computer scientists at the University of Bath say the technology, dubbed DeformIO, has at least the potential to change how people interact with digital screens used for things like product demos and explainers, as well as use cases in commerce, communications, medicine  and gaming.

The tech is purely at the R&D stage, as evidenced by the video at the bottom, and at least a decade of more R&D is likely needed to develop something viable as a commercial or consumer application.

From a technical conference abstract:

Introducing DeformIO, a novel deformable display with co-located force input and variable stiffness output. Unlike prior work, our approach does not require pin arrays or re-configurable panels. Instead, we leveraged pneumatics and resistive sensing to enable force detection and stiffness control on a soft continuous surface. This allows users to perceive rich tactile feedback on a soft surface and replicates the benefits of fluid finger movement from traditional glass-based screens. Using a robotic arm, we conducted a series of evaluations with 3,267 trials to quantify the performance of touch and force input, as well as stiffness output. Additionally, our study confirmed users’ ability to apply multiple force inputs simultaneously and distinguish stiffness levels. We illustrate how DeformIO enhances interaction through a vision for everyday interaction and include two implemented self-contained demonstrations.

From a post by the university:

They believe DeformIO has the potential to radically change the way people interact with the world in fields as diverse as commerce, communications, medicine and gaming.

Before making an online purchase, for instance, the shopper of tomorrow may be invited to “touch” the fabric of a new sofa or “feel” the softness of a pillow simply by pressing on their DeformIO phone display.

The deformable screen also has the potential to change the way users interact with files and apps on their devices. To delete a file, for instance, a person may find themselves pushing on the file icon until it stiffens and eventually “pops” like a bubble.

“You’d be directly manipulating a digital object the way you normally would a physical one,” explains James Nash, a computer-science postgraduate at Bath and the first author of a study describing the new technology. “Our screen allows users to perceive rich tactile feedback on a soft surface. It gives the same benefits as today’s glass-based screens – which allow you to control your device by moving your finger fluidly across the surface – but with the added benefit of a person being able to use force to interact with their device at a deeper level.”

Unlike earlier deformable displays that used movable touchscreen panels or rigid pins, DeformIO employs silicone combined with pneumatics and resistive sensing to detect pressure. This allows for a more continuous and natural movement across the screen surface.

Led by Professor Jason Alexander, who has been researching deformable screens for a decade, the team has developed a 25cm x 25cm prototype to explore various applications for DeformIO. These include gaming, medical training, automotive manufacturing, remote physical contact and digital maps.

It’s interesting, though the practical use-cases seem a little elusive, at least in the context of screens that might be “touched” by consumers.

I’m also not sure this is entirely new. If you watch this investor pitch video from 2020, the CEO of Austin-based SigmaSense talks about flexible sensors. I was on the SigmaSense site because it at least seems to me that the company can do finger pressure sensing with its technology, though on a rigid surface like a touch table. The company does slick sensing technology that goes beyond the boink-boink basics of touchscreens and gets into things like sensing the pressure applied by fingers and doing hover.