Microsoft wants to patent tactile 3D screen

Microsoft developed a screen that changes not only images but also the form. The screen consists of a polymer that changes shape and consistency under the influence of light.

It provides forms that can feel for the user. Microsoft wants to patent this technology. In what stage of development the system is, is not clear from the patent application.

The display consists of a polymer with a shape memory, writes Microsoft developer Erez Kikin-Gil  in the patent application . The screen is coated with a layer of plastic, divided into small cells. Each cell represents a pixel.

Under the influence of light the polymer changes its shape: ultraviolet light on the polymer, stiffens and protrudes it. Thus allowing light of a different wavelength to return to its original shape. A control software controls which pixels are irradiated with which light. The result is a three-dimensional, tactile image.

Information from U.S. Patent and Trademark office (public)