ReFlex wireless flexible smartphone brings bend gestures to app

Researchers at Queen's University's Human Media Lab have developed the world's first wireless flexible smartphone, allowing a new way of physical interaction with the smartphone.

Called ReFlex, the smartphone uses bend sensors to stimulate flipping of pages and playing games without even touching the display of the screen. It combines multi-touch with bend input to offer, users to experience physical tactile feedback when interacting with the apps through bend gestures.

The bend sensors are placed at the back of the display to sense the force with which a user bends the screen. The amount of bend is read by sensor and is made available to apps for use as inputs.

When the phone is bent down on the right, pages flip through the fingers from right to left, just like they would in a book. Applying more force to the bend will speed up page flips. Users will feel the sensation of the pages moving through their fingertips through a vibration.

For instance while playing 'Angry Birds', to stretch the slingshot you'll have to bend the screen. As the rubber expands users will experience vibrations that stimulate those of a real stretching rubber band. When released, the band snaps, sending a jolt through the phone and sending the bird flying across the screen.

ReFlex has a LG Display's Flexible Oled touch screen with 720p resolution, with boards mounted on sides of the display and runs Android 4.4 KitKat. It also features voice coil that allows the phone to stimulate forces and friction through vibrations of the display.

Queen's researchers will unveil the ReFlex Prototype at Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI) conference in Netherlands on February 17.

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