Check Out This Gel-Filled Touchscreen

Touchscreen technology has come a long ways over the years, allowing for greater functionality and more features. One of the latest innovations to reach this market is a new gel-filled touchscreen. Dubbed the “GelTouch” for obvious reasons, it creates tangible, physical buttons on demand. So when you need to type, the GelTouch will automatically create gel-filled physical keys. And when you are finished typing, the keys will subside and go away.

GelTouch is the brain child of tech-savvy researchers at the Technische Universität Berlin in Germany. The ability to manifest physical keys on demand may sound like something out of a science-fiction movie, but it’s actually a relatively simple concept. GelTouch features a touch panel with a layer of cohesive gel underneath. A layer of indium tin oxide (ITO) is then applied underneath the gel, to which electrodes are attached. When the GelTouch is being used, electricity is transmitted to pre-made shapes in the ITO, which subsequently causes them to heat, expand and stiffen into their respective shapes. Once the shapes have warmed and solidified, the operator can touch them just as he or she would any standard keys. As the electrical current dies down, the keys will cool and the ITO will revert back to its original state.

You might be wondering what purpose (if any) there is to using a gel-filled touchscreen like the GelTouch. It’s no secret that smartphones are becoming thinner than ever. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can make the otherwise simple task of typing a real chore. Trying to maneuver your fingers around on a virtual keypad while pressing certain keys and avoiding others isn’t easy. Imagine the difference, however, that a physical on-demand keypad would make. Your smartphone would be the same size, but you could “pop up” physical keys whenever you needed them.

As noted by one of the inventors of GelTouch, the technology allows for an “unlimited” number of shapes and structures. “You basically can have unlimited shapes or structures or whatever you want,” says Viktor Miruchna, one of the inventors of GelTouch.

Video: Geltouch

You can click the play button above to the see the GelTouch action. The roughly 5-minute-long video showcases this innovative new touchscreen technology, revealing exactly how it works. While GelTouch is still a relatively new concept, the video looks promising to say the least.

So, what do you think of GelTouch?