Perspective of the 'hybrid' screen

Ignoring the illusion-based 3D screens, American engineers are aiming for a generation of true three-dimensional screens, the kind that users can structure, pinch and even stretch.

There are all kinds of touch screens and 3D on the market, but recently experts have introduced a screen form that combines the strengths of both types: a flexible screen that allows users to Pinch, poke, stretch. This is the work of experts Dhairya Dand and Rob Hemsley of the Media Laboratory of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA).The screen is called Obake - after the name of the soul that is capable of transforming in Japanese mythology. It consists of a layer of plastic covering a transmission, and all are under the Kinect projector, making images on the plastic layer above. The camcorder also measures the depth of the screen being poked and determines how stretched it is.

Obake screen really impresses in terms of design and ideas - (Photo: MIT)

If you drag it, the screen will create a small peak, poking it, it will rub, rubbing your fingers, it feels like friction. Pull it out, the image on the screen is also distorted. All of this is to turn touch screens into a real 3D screen. Current technology allows viewers to see 3-dimensional images, but that's just an illusion, not what happens in reality. And virtual reality technology allows users to manipulate objects with gestures, but the screen that you can actually touch and stretch is a promising prospect in the future. And two experts Dand and Hemsley call it a 2-and-a-half screen.

There is another aspect of this study. Feedback on ExtremeTech news site, Obake's father said the current state of touch screen technologies is still "sealed" inside the ideas that help build computer mice. Although activities like pointing, dragging and clicking are replaced by touch, drag and type gestures, all are still limited on 2-dimensional images. Many 3D screens today are designed according to the same principle, and do not take advantage of a multitude of gesture controls. However, the limitation here is not only in terms of technology. As a computer user, we are accustomed to specific methods when interacting with the screen with your hand, from pinching to zooming in / out, typing, pointing and clicking.

It is similar to the reason behind the keyboard's current design. The keyboard mimics typewriter, although there is no logic behind QWERTY sorting on any computer device. Of course people can easily find a more logical arrangement for the keyboard, but QWERTY always becomes standard and people get used to it. Therefore, creating a 3D screen with unfamiliar gestures can create the opposite effect. Therefore, Dand and Hemsley want to invent something that can be interactive but not too challenging for consumers. That's why Obake's design is now: a stretchable surface for movements that the vast majority still know, and it can cross the boundaries of a conventional touch screen.

Of course, there are many challenges to overcome before Obake appears on the smartphone screen. But nothing is impossible, especially in the area of ​​technology innovation.