Flexible and foldable displays might be the next big thing in the consumer electronics industry as we see our smartphones and TVs get thinner and thinner these days. Well, researcher Juergen Steimle might be on the verge of the next big thing by developing a wide range of methods that rely on the folds in foldable diplays to have some function where interactivity is concerned. The projection-based display created by Steimle using half a dozen overhead infrared cameras and two high-definition digital projectors are capable of tracking the movement of one’s head, projecting said image onto a passive white tablet that the user holds in his or her hands. Since there are different designs that abound, Steimle created a range of tablets which has sets of spring-loaded, reversible hinges in order for them to be folded like a book or pamphlet.
Steimle’s system is smart enough to monitor the way the tablet is folded, and will use the act of folding alongside the resulting form of the tablet as a vehicle of interaction. For example, holding the tablet flat would mean it is a solitary display, bend it in the middle and it will work like a vertical Nintendo DS. The back is also not exempt from any action, where closing it would show off menu options on the “cover”. Pretty neat, don’t you think so?
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