A new prototype of a device called "Cubimorph" may bring the future of smart consumer electronics into the spotlight.
Made in a laboratory within the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bristol, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Purdue, Lancaster and Sussex, Cubimorph is described as an interactive mobile device that can change its shape on demand to suitable for a wide range of uses. Specifically, it is a series of small touchscreen building blocks that can be combined in different ways to suit different needs.
"Cubimorph contributes towards the vision of programmable matter where interactive devices reconfigure in any shape that can be made out of a chain of cubes in order to fit a myriad of functionalities,"
The device's three-dimensional modular design uses a series of "hinges" to connect the cube's components, which have touchscreens on each of the six sides. The motors inside the cubes allow the device to reconfigure itself in different use cases.
Thus, for example, the Cubimorph could be most of the time as a smartphone that looks something like:
But, when the user wants to play, Cubimorph doesn't just open an application, it configures itself and becomes the touch-pad controlled in the game:
Led by Dr. Anne Roudaut, the research team will unveil their Cubimorph prototype this week during the ICRA 2016 conference in Stockholm, Sweden. You can see a film detailing the concept in the clip below:
