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The PaperPhone Smartphone Uses Bend Gestures


From humanmedialab

How far can we miniaturize components? As far as paper thin, it seems, as evidenced by this prototype PaperPhone which has a flexible thin-film electronic display. The inventor of the PaperPhone is Roel Vertegaal, Director of Queen’s University Human Media Lab in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Interestingly, the phone uses bend gestures to recognize what operation you want to perform.

PaperPhone is the world’s first nextgen, thin film smartphone and interactive paper computer. It is based on a 3.7″ flexible electrophoretic (E Ink) display that does not consume electricity when it is not refreshed. Thinfilm sensors allow the phone to respond to bending of the screen to navigate pages in ebooks, play or pause mp3s, make phone calls, or navigate apps. A flexible wacom tablet allows users to draw on the screen with a pen as if it were a sheet of paper.

For more information visit Queen’s University

source dailymail

In fact, the PaperPhone is simply one of the many functionality of the Snaplet, a flexible device that senses its shape and provides functionality accordingly. For example, when worn around the wrist, the Snaplet functions as the PaperPhone. When held flat, it becomes a writing tablet.


From humanmedialab

Snaplet is a wrist worn thin-film wearable paper computer based on a 3.7″ flexible electrophoretic (E Ink) display. It features touch sensors for navigating applications, and bend sensors that allow Snaplet to determine its current functionality depending on its shape. Phone calls can be made by removing the wrist band, and curving the screen. Calls are dropped by popping the display. Snaplet also features a flexible wacom pen tablet that allows users to write on it as if it were a piece of interactive paper.