Researchers Develop New Tactile Technology That Could Enable a Pop-Up Keyboard on a Flat Smartphone Display

Researchers in the Future Interfaces Group at Carnegie Mellon this week highlighted a breakthrough in display technology that could make future screens more tactile through raised haptics. As noted by TechCrunch, the Future Interfaces Group shared a video and a research paper demonstrating a display that can grow small, physical bumps that can be felt under the fingers.


The technology could be used for tactile notifications, a pop-up keyboard that feels different under the fingers than the standard screen, buttons that remain inflated until pressed, pop-up custom-shaped buttons for controlling system functions, and more. One of the concepts demonstrated includes a pop-up music interface that displays raised music controls for playback, while another features a button on a smartphone that pulses up and down until it's pressed.

Researchers developed a flat panel that's using miniaturized hydraulic pumps to raise the surface through fluid. Each pump is individually controllable and can be activated separately to create dynamic, tactile bumps in a compact form factor.

The hardware is self-contained, lightweight, relatively slim at 5mm, and able to withstand the force of a normal touchscreen interaction.

At the current time, this is emergent technology that's owned by Carnegie Mellon, but it isn't hard to imagine future smartphones that use this kind of functionality. Apple has adopted haptic vibrations for touch-based feedback that's used for notifications and other system feedback, but raised haptics would add another dimension to the display.

Apple could use this kind of technology for a device that folds flat but has a pop-out keyboard when in use, plus there are likely multiple accessibility use cases for those who have sight problems. It's impossible to say whether this is functionality that we will see in Apple devices in the future, but it is an interesting concept.

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
22 weeks ago

“And we call it…3D Haptic Touch+”
Agreed! I think Apple took a major step back by cutting the 3D Haptic Touch from iPhones.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JM Avatar
22 weeks ago
Can’t wait for Bubble-Gate.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LIVEFRMNYC Avatar
22 weeks ago
Repairability score = 0
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
22 weeks ago
Interesting, so much potential for the future!

God knows how long it's going to take Apple to implement this technology. From Apple's perspective, we are easily 10-15 years away from today.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
22 weeks ago
Would like to see Apple use the screen as a subwoofer when listening to music. :cool:
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TroutDeep Avatar
22 weeks ago
Hydraulic pumps. So many possibilities.

Emergent technology indeed. ?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Mock Header With Dynamic Island

Skipping the iPhone 15 Pro? Here's What's Rumored for iPhone 16 Pro

Friday September 22, 2023 9:29 am PDT by
Are you skipping the iPhone 15 Pro and waiting another year to upgrade? If so, we already have some iPhone 16 Pro rumors for you. Below, we recap new features rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models so far:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain...
Apple WWDC23 macOS Sonoma hero

macOS Sonoma Launching This Week With These New Features

Sunday September 24, 2023 12:45 pm PDT by
Apple previously announced that macOS Sonoma will be released this Tuesday, September 26. The free software update includes many new features and changes for the Mac, including the five that we have highlighted below. In addition to these five features, we have shared the full release notes for macOS Sonoma below for a complete overview of everything new. Desktop Widgets macOS Sonoma...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 double tap gesture 230912

watchOS 10.1 to Enable Apple Watch's New 'Double Tap' Gesture

Thursday September 21, 2023 12:52 pm PDT by
The new Double Tap gesture for the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be enabled starting with watchOS 10.1, according to Marques Brownlee, host of the popular tech-focused YouTube channel MKBHD. The first beta of watchOS 10.1 will likely be available by next week, and Apple announced that the software update will be released next month. Brownlee shared his impressions...