World's First Wireless Flexible Smartphone Developed

TORONTO: Scientists claim to have developed the world's first wireless flexible smartphone that allows users to feel the buzz by bending their apps.

The full-colour, high-resolution smartphone, named ReFlex, combines multitouch with bend input and allows users to experience physical tactile feedback when interacting with their apps through bend gestures.

Roel Vertegaal, director of the Human Media Lab at Queen's University in Canada, said, "This represents a completely new way of physical interaction with flexible smartphones."

Users can feel sensation via vibration

When this smartphone is bent down on the right, pages flip through the fingers from right to left, just like they would in a book. More extreme bends speed up the page flips.

Users can feel the sensation of the page moving through their fingertips via a detailed vibration of the phone. This allows eyes-free navigation, making it easier for users to keep track of where they are in a document.

"When a user plays the "Angry Birds" game with ReFlex, they bend the screen to stretch the sling shot. As the rubber band expands, users experience vibrations that simulate those of a real stretching rubber band," Vertegaal said.

"When released, the band snaps, sending a jolt through the phone and sending the bird flying across the screen," he said.

Researchers said that ReFlex is based on a high definition 720p LG Display Flexible OLED touch screen powered by an Android 4.4 KitKat board mounted to the side of the display.

ReFlex also features a voice coil that allows the phone to simulate forces and friction through highly detailed vibrations of the display.

"This allows for the most accurate physical simulation of interacting with virtual data possible on a smartphone today," Vertegaal said.

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