Some companies may be developing modular smartphones with swappable components. But a team of researchers at the University of Bristol’s Bristol Interaction Group have a different idea for modularity: they’ve developed a phone that changes shapes depending on what you’re using it for.
The concept is called Cubimorph, and while it’s not a real phone yet, the team is showing off a series of mechanical prototypes showing how the concept could enable smartphones that can be reconfigured on the fly.
Here’s the idea: Cubimorph is made up of a series of small cube modules with touchscreens on each of the six surfaces of the cube. The modules are connected to one another with hinges that allow you to unfold everything into a straight line, create a smartphone-style rectangular display, or fashion other shapes such as game controllers.
Clearly there are some hurdles that would have to be overcome before something like the Cubimorph could be used as a real phone. How would you squeeze the battery, processor, and other hardware into the device? And how do you minimize the distracting lines that separate the screen segments?
Still, it’s an interesting take on the idea of a modular phone.
via CNET
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4 Comments on "Cubimorph concept shows a modular, shapeshifting smartphone"
I’ll take project Ara over this. Hopefully we’ll hear it isn’t dead at IO tomorrow
One of those things that sounds better in theory than practice.
How hard would it be to read text that spans across multiple cubes?
They must build a few prototypes and unleash some smart people on it. I’m sure they’ll find a way and way more interesting stuff than the last 5 years which lead to .. an edged screen.
If this were a feature that were desirable enough, I would have all the faith in the world that it would be developed to perfection in a few years.
The concept we see here has such little purpose, I don’t see it getting enough interest. It will spend years in “crowdfunding-hell”.
Although this is the kind of project that could serve as a breeding ground for some useful IP, and they could get snatched up for a good chunk of change