New dynamic 3D button touchscreen tech

A pioneering new technology allows touchscreens to ‘grow’ dynamic buttons from flat surfaces.

The new technology, developed by US company Tactus Technology, uses minute channels within the screen to siphon liquid into button shaped cavities that then rise when pressed, alleviating some of the muscle-memory and distraction issues often leveled at touchscreens.

Craig Ciesla, CEO of Tactus Technology, says that it was his desire to merge the elegance of the iPhone's user interface with the tactility of Blackberry buttons that led to the technology's development.

Ciesla says: "As human beings we really want to be able to feel things, we really want that tactility. Our technology has the ability to become the next-generation user interface."

The technology is desgned for use in mobile phones, gaming, navigation and, of course, the automotive industry.

We can expect to the see the first range of Tactus products in the middle of 2013.

By Rufus Thompson