Smartphones Can Be Accessed In A Cheap New Tangible Way Using Plastic Tubes

New ways to interact with our hand held devices always amaze us with the possibilities that they unlock. A team from Disney Research group got together with Carnegie Melon University researchers to develop a new low-cost functionality that uses plastic and doesn't require power to access a mobile device. Moving past the era of touch-screens which sometimes fall short as control surfaces, the new passive mechanism is a revolutionary new way to interact with our hand-helds. Called 'Acoustroments', here we have new devices that make use of the smartphone's existing audio functionality to become operational. The researchers tested them to find that they deliver 99% accuracy with minimal training. Not only that, the team has confirmed that, their technology can be rapidly prototyped.


Drawing inspiration from 'wind instruments', the team devised these Acoustruments using pluggable plastic tubes to connect the smartphone's speaker with its microphone. This way the smartphone could be controlled by acoustically altering sounds as they pass through this system. As seen in the image above, the team designed an interactive doll that responds when its stomach is poked and even a toy car app that can be controlled by pressing the side of the plastic tubes.

Take a look at the following video to understand the tech better -


What are your thoughts about moving beyond touch-screens and introducing newer ways to interact with our mobile devices on daily basis? Share your views and opinions with us in comments below.

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