Technology developments support and follow eachother and increase innovation. This is the same for 3D and digital technologies. One of the expamples of this occured in Japon in an academic research. Called ‘Phones on Wheel’, in this project a smartphone with kinetic features is printed in 3D.
This remarkable smartphone case was developed as part of a study entitled ‘Phones on Wheels: Exploring Interaction for Smartphones with Kinetic Capabilities’, which involved University of Tokyo researchers Takefumi Hiraki, Koya Narumi, Koji Yatani and Yoshihiro Kawahara. While the results of their kinetic explorations won’t be fully unveiled until October, at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) 2016 in Tokyo, they have already shared a remarkable preview clip.
What’s more, the kinetic dimension is easy to unlock. The wheels and the case have simply
been 3D printed, and are powered by a circuit board equipped with micro-controllers, a USB-serial converter, motors, motor drivers, and rotary encoders. The motor actuation enables both linear and rotational movements, allowing the phone to push objects towards you or nudge you to attract your attention.