Yes, you’ve seen that right! A company in France has created a phone case that mimics the looks and texture of real human skin.
Marc Teyssier and his colleagues at Telecom Paris in France used artificial skin to create this case for the purpose of controlling devices that we often touch to control, like smartphones and laptops.
This project device is called “Skin-on Interfaces” and it can detect and interpret a variety of gestures. By poking or pinching it, the device can translate that signal into something our tech can understand.
The prototype is responsive to touch, for example, if a user tickles the accessory, it releases a laughing emoji onto your phone.
When New Scientist magazine was asked why did he designed this accessory device, he replied saying that he wanted to pinch his phone.
The idea was to bring more natural and human-like interaction between us and the devices we handle every day.
When the “skin” is plugged into a computer, it can be used as a laptop touchpad or remote control for all the typical touch commands, such as tapping to select, sliding to scroll or pinching to zoom in and out.
As an example, in the photo, you can see that when you pinch the “skin”, you can express anger to the avatar on-screen.
Sadly, the accessory is only a research project for now. Only 2 prototype covers have been released, one that has a smooth surface and another that has a human-like texture.
Those are just a few ideas, check out more about the phone case here:
So, what do you think about this idea coming to life? Would you buy it or do you think it’s just another innovation flop? Let us know in the comments down below!
Header Image Source: USA Today
