Tactus Shows Off Real Physical Keyboard That Rises Out of Touchscreens [Video]

Tactus is showcasing its next generation technology that enables real physical buttons and shapes to rise out of the surface of any touchscreen.

The company announced today the first public demonstration of its patented Tactile Layer component, which provides a next-generation haptic user interface with real physical buttons, guidelines, or shapes that rise out of the surface (and recede to invisibility) from any touchscreen.

Tactus was selected by the Society for Information Display (SID) to showcase in the I-Zone at Display Week 2012, a reserved area highlighting the newest and most innovative display technologies. Tactus has also been selected as a top 10 finalist in the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Eureka Park Challenge at CE Week (New York City). Held in partnership with the National Science Foundation and scheduled for the end of June, this event recognizes startups with the most innovative and unique technologies.


The Tactus Tactile Layer panel is the world's first deformable tactile surface that creates dynamic physical buttons that users can actually see and feel in advance of entering data into the device. Tactus uses innovative microfluidic technology to create physical buttons that rise from the touchscreen to give users the experience of operating a physical keyboard. When no longer needed, the buttons recede back into the touchscreen, leaving no trace of their presence.

The Tactile Layer panel is a completely flat, transparent, dynamic surface that adds no extra thickness to the standard touchscreen display since it replaces a layer of the already existing display stack. Tactus enables manufacturers to create devices with entirely new ergonomics and form factors, since the screen and the keyboard can now be combined.

When triggered, the thin layer deforms and buttons or shapes of a specific height, size and firmness appear on the surface of the screen. Users can feel, press down and interact with these physical buttons just like they would use keys on a keyboard. The buttons recede into the surface and become invisible when they are no longer needed.

Check out the video below to see the surface in action on an iPhone and tablet.