Tag Archives: capacitive

Samsung files a patent for a capacitive stylus with NFC and headset, your next C-Pen may get talkative

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Samsung files a patent for a capacitive stylus with NFC and headset, your next CPen may get talkative

Samsung is clearly big on pens. It's no shock, then, that we now know the company applied for a patent on a new stylus while the original Galaxy Note was still fresh out of the box. The capacitive pen of Samsung's dreams includes its own wireless headset in the clip to make voice calls without having to buy a separate earpiece -- something that we've only seen recently in the real world. It would even find room for NFC to pair the pen up with a host device using a minimum of fuss. The most appealing part of the patent may be its pragmatism. Unlike some of the flight-of-fancy patents we've noticed lately, the technology in the new stylus is well within reach. No patent is ever a surefire sign of action, but it's no great leap in logic to see a follow-up to the C-Pen or S Pen letting us call for pizza in between drawing sessions.

Samsung files a patent for a capacitive stylus with NFC and headset, your next C-Pen may get talkative originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bananaphone touch synthesizer replaces ring ring rings with chiptunes (video)

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If you're tired of bananaphones that just make calls, the crew at Gadget Gangster now has a homebrew project to use them for musical escapades. A custom-coded (and appropriately named) Adafruit Propeller board turns a bunch of bananas into the Bananaphone TouchSynth, a synthesizer using the same capacitive touch principles that let a MaKey MaKey turn anything into a controller. The project as it's built won't be rocking stadium-sized crowds anytime soon -- not with those beeps and that lone speaker -- but there's nothing stopping it from scaling up to bigger sounds. Just remember that your fresh beats will turn very brown within a few days.

Continue reading Bananaphone touch synthesizer replaces ring ring rings with chiptunes (video)

Bananaphone touch synthesizer replaces ring ring rings with chiptunes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 20:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MaKey MaKey Turns Everyday Objects Into Keypads: Me LiKey LiKey

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Several days ago we saw Disney’s plan for turning everyday objects – including humans – into touch-sensitive interfaces. The MaKey MaKey is a lot simpler than that, but what it does is still very impressive. Any object that can conduct “at least a tiny bit of electricity” – fruits, Play-Doh, humans, water, etc. – can be turned into a keypad using MaKey MaKey.

makey makey invention kit

The “invention kit” comes with a circuit board, a bunch of alligator clips and a USB cable. All you have to do is connect the MaKey MaKey board to a computer, then attach the alligator clips to the object that you want to use as a keypad and you’re good to go. Your computer will just think that you have a USB keyboard connected. It’s like the Old Spice commercial made real: your bananas are now keyboards!

How awesome is that?! The rest of the world has already gone on record with a resounding “Hell, yeah that’s awesome!”, because as of this writing the MaKey MaKey Kickstarter fundraiser has gathered more than 6 times its original goal amount of $25,000 (USD). You can be one of the first to own a MaKey MaKey kit by pledging at least $35 (USD) to the fundraiser.

[via Engadget]


Touché Turns Everyday Objects Touch Sensitive, My Mind to a Puddle

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Disney’s Research Hub recently presented a new technology that can make a variety of materials touch-sensitive. I wasn’t even aware that Disney had a network of research labs, but after seeing what their team of nerds are capable of I’m never going to forget about them. Unless Hasbro makes real Transformers.

touch all the things

The technology is called Touché, and is nothing short of revolutionary. Unlike the Microsoft, Corning and Samsung future, where every wall, window and surface is actually a touchscreen, the Disney future is one where objects still look a lot like the ones we have today, except they’re wired and can recognize different gestures, positions and even our presence. Touché has two main differences from capacitive conventional touchscreen technology. First of all, it doesn’t just have an on or off state (i.e. touch or no touch), and second, as I said, it works on a variety of materials, even on human skin and liquids.

That’s awesome. Pair this with Kinect and you can truly have a smart environment where the artificial surroundings – offices, houses, furniture and electronics – respond to us in more intuitive ways without us having to deal with buttons, switches, knobs or even touchscreen devices. Combine this with biomechatronics and paralyzed people will be able to “feel” again and be more independent. Mate this with life-size dolls and… No. Let’s not go there.

[via Disney Research via Hack A Day]

 


Droplet and StackAR bring physical interface to virtual experiences, communicate through light (hands-on)

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Light-based communication seems to wind throughout the MIT Media Lab -- it is a universal language, after all, since many devices output light, be it with a dedicated LED or a standard LCD, and have the capacity to view and interpret it. One such device, coined Droplet, essentially redirects light from one source to another, while also serving as a physical interface for tablet-based tasks. Rob Hemsley, a research assistant at the Media Lab, was on hand to demonstrate two of his projects. Droplet is a compact self-contained module with an integrated RGB LED, a photodiode and a CR1216 lithium coin battery -- which provides roughly one day of power in the gadget's current early prototype status. Today's demo used a computer-connected HDTV and a capacitive-touch-enabled tablet. Using the TV to pull up a custom Google Calendar module, Hemsley held the Droplet up to a defined area on the display, which then output a series of colors, transmitting data to the module. Then, that data was pushed to a tablet after placing the Droplet on the display, pulling up the same calendar appointment and providing a physical interface for adjusting the date and time, which is retained in the cloud and the module itself, which also outputs pulsing light as it counts down to the appointment time.

StackAR, the second project, functions in much the same way, but instead of outputting a countdown indicator, it displays schematics for a LilyPad Arduino when placed on the tablet, identifying connectors based on a pre-selected program. The capacitive display can recognize orientation, letting you drop the controller in any position throughout the surface, then outputting a map to match. Like the Droplet, StackAR can also recognize light input, even letting you program the Arduino directly from the tablet by outputting light, effectively simplifying the interface creation process even further. You can also add software control to the board, which will work in conjunction with the hardware, bringing universal control interfaces to the otherwise space-limited Arduino. Both projects appear to have incredible potential, but they're clearly not ready for production just yet. For now, you can get a better feel for Droplet and StackAR in our hands-on video just past the break.

Gallery: MIT Media Lab: Droplet and StackAR hands-on

Continue reading Droplet and StackAR bring physical interface to virtual experiences, communicate through light (hands-on)

Droplet and StackAR bring physical interface to virtual experiences, communicate through light (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TapCaps: So You Can Wear Gloves and Still Use Your Touchscreen Phone

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Even though we’re headed towards the warmer summer months, there’s still that random cold spell that makes it nearly impossible to leave the house without gloves on. This becomes a problem when you have to use a touchscreen device, simply tapping or swiping at the screen with a gloved finger makes nothing happen.

The solution? Alice Ning’s TapCaps. They’re tiny capacitive stickers that you’re supposed to stick onto your gloves so you can make it usable with a touchscreen.

TapCaps1

Alice plans to come up with smaller, thinner, and more flexible prototypes of the TapCaps, but not until she can raise the necessary funding to get access to in-studio machinery and materials.

That’s where you come in. If you’re interested in supporting this project and getting the TapCaps once they’re made available, then you can make a pledge of at least $25 to the project. Head on over to TapCaps’ Kickstarter page to find out more.