A start-up company called Sensel has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the new kind of
trackpad named as "Sensel Morph".' It's similar in size to an iPad and is having
around 20,000 pressure sensors that can detect even the slightest touch and measure the force
of that touch. The Sensel Morph comes to life through the
use of various overlays. Overlays are thin, magnetic, flexible, and
fully customizable surfaces that turn the device into virtually any tool or instrument
imaginable For example, it could become a computer keyboard,
a DJ controller, a piano keyboard, or a gamepad, The users are allowed to create their own
custom Morph interfaces easily. As more interfaces are created for the device, users will be
able to share them with others. You can connect Sensel Morph to your computer
via USB, to your iPad via Bluetooth, or to your Arduino via developer cables.
At Sensel, we are developing the next generation input devices. We are trying to replace our
archaic keyboard and mouse with an interace that is upgradable, customizable, and really
captures all the nuance or the expression our hands are capable of.
Our first product looks like a trackpad but we've actually packed 20,000 sensor elements
into this form factor. Each of these Sensor elements can detect the full range of forces
that human hands are capable of. That means when you touch the device, we can tell not
only where your finger are, but also how hard each one is pressing, with precise and accurate
enough to detect the bristles from this paint brush.
Because we sense force, we can detect touches to any flexible material
we started developing is three-dimensional tactile overlays there when placed on top
of the Morph change the device into any type of interface you can imagine.
The overlays include magnets making them easy to swap it out and software inside the Morph
that automatically changes mode based on the overlay.
You can connect it to your computer with the USB cable and it can even talk your tablet
or phone via built-in Bluetooth. We believe this product will dramatically change the
way people interact with technology, and we reached out to few our friends to see what
they would create with a sensel Morph.
With Sensel Morph, I'm able to work with the brush very naturally in a nuanced way.
For instance, if I let go of the brush too soon the bristles kind of sweep art, and that
pic set up, The tools disappear and you are left to your
creativity and that's what's exciting.
The reason why paper and pencil work well together is because pencil will carve
into paper that's something that in the digital world today doesn't really
happen all that often, that tactility that extra level of them mention, is what
makes art.
The Morph is taking all of these things that I want access to, but are typically
and separate devices, and now we have them all combined into one device.
years developing this technology and partnered with design to refine the product
and build out some core use cases in art, music and gaming, but we've only
scratched the surface of what this technology is capable of, that's what we
need your help we want you to experiment prototype and push the bounds of what
this technology can do, we're also developing an online tool that will let
you build your own interface along with your own custom overlay.
And for those of you who can code, we have an open source API that allows you to feed
in iraq has your data or touch information
we believe that the central Wharf will pave the way for a new generation of
tactile, responses and express interfaces.