‘ProtoSpray’ can convert any 3D-printed object into a touchscreen display
Researchers have challenged the notion that touchscreens are limited to 2D and rectangular shapes by developing a Spray-on interactive display
Dubbed as the ‘ProtoSpray’, the revolutionary new technology harnesses the power of 3D printing techniques and sprayable electronic technology. The researchers from the University of Bristol took inspiration from how an artist creates graffiti on a wall. The novel technique allows the creation of touch screen displays on surfaces that go beyond the usual rectangular and 2D shapes.
Working in collaboration with the MIT Media lab, the purpose of the EPSRC-funded research to broaden the scope of how people can interact with emerging digital technologies. This would also encourage different players from the industry to develop interactive objects of different (arbitrary) shapes.
The video demonstration below highlights how ProtoSpray working on a cube, a hemisphere shape, and a bendable Möbius strip-shaped tube, showing off the flexibility and agility of the new process. It involves the following steps:
- Objects are 3D printed in conductive & insulating plastic
- Electroluminescent materials…
