back to article Guitar-playing keys enable extremely thin keyboards

A San Francisco company wants to help laptop, tablet, and smartphone manufacturers in their seemingly insatiable desire to create thinner and thinner devices. Its solution is to replace keyboards and other physical user-interface elements with electro mechanical polymer (EMP) keys that provide localized and individualized haptic …

COMMENTS

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  1. Robert Helpmann??
    Childcatcher

    What's the buzz?

    I don't know why they want thinner, but I'm saying 'I have a solution for you'!

    So basically this is a solution in search of a problem? As he said, haptics is an immature field. It will be interesting to see what pans out and what goes nowhere. The biggest problem I can see with implementing it in mobile devices is power consumption will go up dramatically as it is essentially re-introducing moving parts which burn a lot more juice than do solid state components.

    1. Eddy Ito

      Re: What's the buzz?

      It actually looks almost like a bimetallic strip but with a very quick response time and since it works based on electrostriction it responds to changing electric fields so it shouldn't use much more power than an equivalent capacitor. It would also be interesting to know if it also works in reverse so you could tell if it was being bent at the same time. Besides, most every real keyboard has moving parts even if it's just the rubber flexures that hold the contacts apart. Anyway, there's a video on this page for your viewing pleasure.

      1. Robert Helpmann??
        Childcatcher

        Re: What's the buzz?

        Nice video, especially the demonstration of the different things the technology can do. As for the moving parts comment, yes, this would seem to pull power from the device whereas most keyboards don't.

      2. Justin Forder
        Alert

        Re: What's the buzz?

        "Drive voltage less than 150 volts" !!!

    2. JDX Gold badge

      Re: What's the buzz?

      >>So basically this is a solution in search of a problem?

      Not at all. He's not trying to convince people whey should want thinner units, he's providing a solution to that existing desire but doesn't really understand why it's desired. Big difference.

  2. TheOtherHobbes

    I don't know

    If I dropped 500 green ones on a phone and discovered it really did have a washing machine in it, I'd be thinking 'How cool is that?' - closely followed by 'Where do the socks go in?'

  3. stucs201
    Megaphone

    Wrong choice of music in demo video.

    Beatles? Huh? Given the bloke's name I'd have expected the obvious choice to be Ramstein :)

  4. Mr Young
    Coffee/keyboard

    I'm sorry...

    but the phrase 'haptic feedback' always sounds like some sort of STD to me? Also - any fule know EMP stands for Electro Magnetic Pulse!

  5. b166er

    I don't want my phone to be thinner 8.5mm is fine for me.

    I thought Microsoft have a Surface keyboard with feedback?

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      They do, but its thicker and more expensive.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I don't give a shit about how thin something is. Give me some battery life and storage please.

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Okay Dougal, one more time:

      For two devices of the same external dimensions, the one with the thinner keyboard can have a bigger battery- or room for a microSD slot.

      1. JDX Gold badge

        Just leave him with his £289 DELL laptop, he's happy with it.

  7. Gene Cash Silver badge

    He might be on to something

    I love my Model M because I can feel it. When I can't feel the keys, I seem to ram my fingertips into it and my wrists and hands kill me after a day.

    I tried one of those projected-on-a-surface laser keyboards... oy vey. My fingertips pretty much called a strike after 20 minutes, no matter how much I consciously tried to tap softly.

    Hope he gets traction selling these things.

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Re: He might be on to something

      >I tried one of those projected-on-a-surface laser keyboards... oy vey. My fingertips pretty much called a strike >after 20 minutes,

      Superglue some marshmallows to your fingertips, problem solved. Next!

  8. ScissorHands
    Megaphone

    Best haptic feedback there is on a "glass keyboard"

    It's on the Nokia N9. If they used the regular vibration actuator, either it's a non standard part or they are able to drive it in a very different way. Somehow, I'm inclined to believe they use a special actuator for the haptics. But since it's a dead phone, nobody investigated it or knows about it enough to shame everybody else into copying the N9s haptics. For the betterment of mankind.

    1. JDX Gold badge

      Re: Best haptic feedback there is on a "glass keyboard"

      I was impressed how effective it is even on my cheap-ass Nokia Lumia 610 (WP7.5). The tiny buzz really is quite effective.

  9. Lyle Dietz
    Pint

    "It somewhat ironic that the drive to extreme thinness would take guts, hmm?"

    I salute you sir.

    Cheers!

  10. Matt 24

    Why 'thin'?

    It stuff gets too thin it's harder and more uncomfortable to hold. I'd like a bit more chunky but a lot less weight in a laptop or tablet. I have a Samsung S7S (Windows 7, btw) which is a bit too thin and quite heavy. And didn't Apple come up with something like this a few years ago for the touch-screen - I seem to recall the Reg showing a patent for it.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why 'thin'?

      I dunno, but Brass Eye: Paedogeddon featured the dangers of haptic monitors.

  11. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Coat

    Who else is thinking...

    "Electro Mechanical Polymers. The cutting edge of modern marital aids."

    Which BTW is a multi $Bn industry.

    Just saying.

  12. drewsup

    Hooraay for haptics

    Now let the pron industry at it, haptic feedback invisible fingers for all!

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Any old bollox to sell

    "To Ramstein, though, even mere vibration is a vast improvement over, say, the Microsoft Surface keyboard, which just lies there pretty but inert. "Lovely, but I don't feel anything," he said of Redmond's inability to thrill his fingertips."

    WOW I can smell that from here.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Any old bollox to sell

      Have you ever tried making a positive comment about anything? It's a new year, give it a go.

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