INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Research scientists at Queen University Human Media Lab have built a prototype touchscreen device that neither smartphone nor tablet but
kind of both — and more besides
The device, which they&ve christened the MagicScroll, is inspired by ancient (papyrus/paper/parchment) scrolls so it takes a rolled-up,
cylindrical form factor — enabled by a flexible 7.5inch touchscreen housed in the casing.
This novel form factor, which they made using 3D
printing, means the device can be used like an erstwhile rolodex (remember those!) for flipping through on-screen contacts quickly by
turning a physical rotary wheel built into the edge of the device
(They&ve actually added one on each end.)
Then, when more information or a deeper dive is required, the user is able to pop the screen out
of the casing to expand the visible display real estate
The flexible screen on the prototype has a resolution of 2K
So more mid-tier mobile phone of yore than crisp iPhone Retina display at this nascent stage.
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The scientists also reckon the scroll form factor offers a pleasing ergonomically option
for making actual phone calls too, given that a rolled up scroll can sit snugly against the face.
Though they admit their prototype is still
rather large at this stage — albeit, that just adds to the delightfully retro feel of the thing, making it come over like a massive mobile
Like the classicMotorola 8000X Dynatac of 1984.
While still bulky at this RD stage, the team argues the cylindrical, flexible screen form
factor of their prototype offers advantages by being lightweight and easier to hold with one hand than a traditional tablet device, such as
And when rolled up they point out it can also fit in a pocket
(Albeit, a large one.)
They also imagine it being used as a dictation device or pointing device, as well as a voice phone
And the prototype includes a camera — which allows the device to be controlled using gestures, similar to Nintendo ‘Wiimote& gesture
system.
In another fun twist they&ve added robotic actuators to the rotary wheels so the scroll can physically move or spin in place in
various scenarios, such as when it receives a notification
Clocky eat your heart out.
We were inspired by the design of ancient scrolls because their form allows for a more natural, uninterrupted
experience of long visual timelines,& said Roel Vertegaal, professor of human-computer interaction and director of the lab, in a
statement.
Another source of inspiration was the old rolodex filing systems that were used to store and browse contact cards
The MagicScroll scroll wheel allows for infinite scroll action for quick browsing through long lists
Unfolding the scroll is a tangible experience that gives a full screen view of the selected item
Picture browsing through your Instagram timeline, messages or LinkedIn contacts this way!
Eventually, our hope is to design the device so
that it can even roll into something as small as a pen that you could carry in your shirt pocket,& he added
&More broadly, the MagicScroll project is also allowing us to further examine notions that ‘screens don''t have to be flat& and
‘anything can become a screen&
Whether it a reusable cup made of an interactive screen on which you can select your order before arriving at a coffee-filling kiosk, or a
display on your clothes, we&re exploring how objects can become the apps.
The team has made a video showing the prototype in action
(embedded below), and will be presenting the project at the MobileHCI conference on Human-Computer Interaction in Barcelona next
month.
While any kind of mobile device resembling the MagicScroll is clearly very, very far off even a sniff of commercialization
(especially as these sorts of concept devices have long been teased by mobile device firms& RD labs — while the companies keep pumping out
identikit rectangles of touch-sensitive glass… ), it worth noting that Samsung has been slated to be working a a smartphone with a
foldable screenfor some years now
And, according to the most recent chatter about this rumor, it might be released next year
Or, well, it still might not.
But whether Samsung definition of ‘foldable& will translate into something as flexibly bendy as the
MagicScroll prototype is highly, highly doubtful
A fused clamshell design — where two flat screens could be opened to seamlessly expand them and closed up again to shrink the device
footprint for pocketability — seems a much more likely choice for Samsung designers to make, given the obvious commercial challenges of
selling a device with a transforming form factor that also robust enough to withstand everyday consumer use and abuse.
Add to that, for all
the visual fun of these things, it not clear that consumers would be inspired to adopt anything so different en masse
Sophisticated (and inevitably) fiddly devices are more likely to appeal to specific niche use cases and user scenarios.
For the mainstream
six inches of touch-sensitive (and flat) glass seems to do the trick.
