See Fabian Hemmert and his amazing, shape-shifting cellphone prototype (video)
By Tim Stevens 
posted February 1st 2010 9:14AM
posted February 1st 2010 9:14AM
posted February 1st 2010 9:14AM
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Great Scott!
@Emmett Brown
I used to make things like this as a girl.
Its a good thing.
@Martha Stewart
You're late, do you have no concept of time?
@Emmett Brown
I'm fashionably late.
It's a good thing.
@Martha Stewart WHAT, the HELL just happen here?...
@Emmett Brown
psychoanalyse zippy?
@thebline i, for one, am just glad they are speaking to each-other again...
women would love this (at least the ones i know). finally, the cellphone would really be at fault if it drops out of hands onto the floor :)
@davepermen
I was kinda buzzed once and talking to somebody across the table. Then he whipped out this cell phone, and it looked exactly like my Sony Ericsson P800! Then he returned it to me...
Still have no idea how he did it...
My acid nightmares are coming true!!!
is your phone ringing or are you just happy to see me?
@Ryan Trevisol exactly what I was thinking
@Ryan Trevisol
Actually its a hamster. I just can't go anywhere without him.
The Shape Shipfting Phone.... great concept
Coming soon. TRANSFORMERS!
Very Nice ;) Congratulations
Cool-Aid or Kool-Aid?
@aubreyq Either would do, but I suppose we should keep the lawyers happy... thanks.
That's very interesting! I love the concepts.
When thinking of what I want in my next mobile phone, I can't say that lead weights and thicker form factors ever really crossed my mind ... also am I the only one who was creeped out that the guy was referring to the hamster in his pocket, too?
So in the future when you miss a call, you're going to have to stand it nudging constantly in your pocket. Man that sounds so cool.
Worms in my pocket!
Mabe it's time we start installing chips and antennae in lab rats...
Here's a video I found on youtube. Just watch from 0:15 to 0:40 and take a guess at what the green thing in her hand is...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwF6YWHooTc
I WANT ONE!
@onlymyrailgun so funny, I was actually thinking of Macross Frontier when I saw this. Couple other anime as well.
bravo to him.
Obviously there's nothing even close to being production-ready, but these are worthy ideas, for sure.
I'm sure that with the whole nanomaterial phenomenon, we'll see some seriously awesome stuff.
I bet within 15 years we see a handset whose entire exterior is 100% capacitive touchscreen OLED. That would be some trippy shit.
@crawdad689
you forgot foldable, pretty, shiny, self aware, with an "i know what you need before you do" attitude...
gosh sounds like my girlfriend XD
2:30
A lowrider iPhone? Sweet!
I mean these are very cool ideas but how the hell are we going to shrink these concepts down so they will actually be usable inside of a mobile phone? we want thin and light solid devices, not something that purposely has a weight in it..lol..
@(Unverified) Stuff gets smaller. If a battery were smaller it could be used to shift the center of gravity.
This guy is DEFINITELY onto something.
The whole idea that you are touching a piece of glass to press a virtual button goes against everything that humans are taught from day one when it comes to tactile feedback.
once they start replicating all is over!
Perhaps if this was applied to the ipad it could morph into something more useful ;-)
I can really see a companies adopting the weighted concept as long as it can be miniaturized. Apple would never touch it because it would add girth to their phones.
There isn't enough room for viable weight unless you're talking about tablets. And why is he given a platform for sticking RC servos onto something? Neither of these will pan out based on the realities of the platforms size. If it did, you wouldn't barely even feel it.
nano machines would pull these concepts off very well.
I'll just wait for the Nokia Morph thanks... http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/25/nokias-nanotech-morph-goes-on-display-signals-melting-devices/
I'm very glad to receive so much feedback. We're looking for an intern to work on these things:
http://www.design-research-lab.org/team/internship-embodied-interaction/
That's great opening up opportunity to the community. This guy is so innovative! Bravo!
@fabianhemmert
Good stuff!
Just please do not sell out to Microsoft or Apple!
Get the patent on this NOW!!
@fabianhemmert
Check out my idea below.
Before seeing the video I thought this guy must be on LSD or something. But, I can see his point. However, even when we try to "humanize" objects, practicality always plays a part of it. So, I doubt we'll have breathing, excitable cellphones or notepads any time soon. But, I think he's got a good idea with the whole center of gravity and mass shifting idea.
With an accelerometer in tact dropping phones would be a worry of the past. The device could shift shape to absorb and distribute energy from a damaging impact! This is genius!
my phone bulging in my pocket?? that should make some misunderstandings
more moving parts = more things to break IMHO
really good concept, not so good in practice.
"i want to feel that harry potter, thick"
LOL
That's pretty cool thinking, if they can shrink it down to not change the current size of mobile device, I'd be down. Plus that seems like another thing to suck up power, but we've got some crazy battery tech in the coming years as well. I wish more phones had [good] haptic feedback
Uh, I think your phone is having an asthma attack...
There is too much stupidity here to even know where to start.
Why not just change the form factor entirely so that the cell phone is shaped like a tiny little humanoid who talks to you. Give it the ability to change basic shape (fatter, thinner, feminine, masculine, etc.) and external appearance (maybe the whole surface is a sort of screen), and give it AI so it can communicate what's going on in a normal, human way.
When your mom calls, it takes on the appearance of your mom (based on pictures and data you supply) and so, suddenly, you hear your mom calling you from your coat pocket. You take out this little icon of your mother, and she stands on your table/palm/wherever and talks to you. No phone to the ear. Just you and your tiny mom talking. She gestures, paces, and is basically a little mom-controlled android that takes action cues from the tone of voice and sounds.
If it's your buddy from work, he shouts at you and you can say, "Shut up, man. I'm busy." and he'll go away (i.e. be shunted to voicemail).
I won't even go into the applications when you call an adult phone line.
When in "neutral" mode, the phone-droid looks like whatever you want (skins/themes) and relays information to you through normal human-like behavior. If the battery is low, it acts tired and run-down. If the battery is dead, it lays there inert, as if dead. If the phone is put into sleep mode, the little android shape appears to be asleep. If the call is urgent, it yells. If the call is from an unknown caller, it actually says, "Someone I don't know wants to talk to you." or something like that.
And if you want to be extra-creepy, make it so that if you damage the phone (drop it, crack it, whatever) it bleeds and moans in pain until you have it serviced or put it out of its misery.
Why should a cell phone look like a little brick, anyway? Who decided they should all follow the same form factor basics?
THAT is innovation.
Um... there's this store... a few blocks from here... called "Good Vibrations"... and they have ... ... ... never mind.
Concept wise this is a 10/10... I mean this dude is revolutionizing touch input/output as we speak! It will take some time, but I'm looking forward to such possibilities!