Tactus Technology is showcasing its next-gen mobile tactile tech at SID Display Week 2012 in Boston.



Essentially, Tactus has created a Tactile Layer component that generates a haptic user interface (UI) with real physical buttons, guidelines, and shapes which rise out of the surface from any touchscreen.



A Tactus spokesperson told TG Daily that its layer panel is the "world’s first" deformable tactile surface capable of creating dynamic physical buttons that users can actually see and feel in advance of entering data into the device. 

So how does it work?

Well, Tactus uses microfluidic technology to create physical buttons that rise from the touchscreen to give users the experience or feeling of operating a physical keyboard. When no longer needed, the buttons recede back into the touchscreen, leaving no trace of their presence.