The shape-shifting future of the mobile phone | Fabian Hemmert | TEDxBerlin
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0:15 - 0:21I am a PhD student
and that means I have a question. -
0:21 - 0:24And this question I would
like to share with you. -
0:24 - 0:29How can we make digital content
graspable for us, for humans? -
0:29 - 0:33Because you see, on the one
hand there is the digital world -
0:33 - 0:37and no question many things
are happening there right now. -
0:37 - 0:42And for us humans it's not quite material,
it's not really there, it's virtual. -
0:42 - 0:45On the other hand, we humans,
we live in a physical world. -
0:45 - 0:48It's rich, it tastes good,
it feels good, it smells good. -
0:48 - 0:49So the question is
-
0:49 - 0:53how do we get the stuff over
from the digital into the physical? -
0:53 - 0:54That's my question.
-
0:54 - 0:59If you look at the iPhone with its touch
and the Wii with its bodily activity -
0:59 - 1:01you can see the tendency,
it's getting physical. -
1:01 - 1:04The question is: What's next?
-
1:04 - 1:06Now I have 3 options
that I would like to show you. -
1:06 - 1:09The first one is mass.
-
1:09 - 1:14As humans we are sensitive to where
an object in our hand is heavy. -
1:14 - 1:16So could we use that in mobile phones?
-
1:16 - 1:20Let me show you the
weight shifting mobile. -
1:20 - 1:24It is a mobile phone shaped box
that has an iron weight inside -
1:24 - 1:28which we can move around and
you can feel where it's heavy. -
1:28 - 1:34So what we can do with it is
we shift the gravitational center of it. -
1:34 - 1:38For example we can augment
digital content with physical mass. -
1:38 - 1:41So you move around
the content on the display. -
1:41 - 1:45But you can also feel where it is
just from the weight of the device. -
1:45 - 1:47Now that's one thing we can do with it.
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1:47 - 1:49Another thing it's good for is navigation.
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1:49 - 1:51It can guide you around in a city.
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1:51 - 1:54It can tell you by its weight,
okay move right. -
1:54 - 1:56Walk ahead. Make a left here.
-
1:56 - 1:58And the good thing about
that is you don't have to look -
1:58 - 2:02at the device all the time you
have your eyes free to see the city. -
2:02 - 2:04So that's nice.
-
2:07 - 2:10Now mass is the first thing.
-
2:10 - 2:13The second thing, that's shape.
-
2:13 - 2:17We're also sensitive to the shape
of objects we have in our hands. -
2:17 - 2:21So if I download an eBook and it has
20 pages, well that could be thin, right? -
2:21 - 2:25But if it has 500 pages, I want
to feel that Harry Potter is thick. -
2:25 - 2:26(Laughter)
-
2:26 - 2:29So let me show you
the shape changing mobile. -
2:29 - 2:31Again it's a mobile phone shaped box.
-
2:31 - 2:34And this one can change its shape.
-
2:35 - 2:39By the way I have them here.
We can play with it later. -
2:39 - 2:41Let's see we can play
with the shape itself. -
2:41 - 2:45For example it can be thin in your pocket,
which we of course want it to be. -
2:45 - 2:49But then if you hold it in your hand
it can lean towards you be thick -
2:49 - 2:51it's like tapered to the down side.
-
2:51 - 2:54You change the grasp,
it can adjust to that. -
2:54 - 2:58It's also useful if you want to put it
down on your nightstand to watch a movie. -
2:58 - 3:00Let's see how it looks.
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3:00 - 3:03Use as an alarm clock.
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3:03 - 3:05It stands, it's fairly simple.
-
3:05 - 3:09Another thing is sometimes we
watch things on a mobile phone -
3:09 - 3:12they are bigger than the phone itself.
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3:12 - 3:15So in that case, like here this map,
it's bigger than the phone's screen. -
3:15 - 3:17The shape of the phone could tell you,
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3:17 - 3:20okay off the screen right
here there is more content -
3:20 - 3:21you can't see it but it's there.
-
3:21 - 3:25And you can feel that
because it's thicker at that edge. -
3:25 - 3:27So shape is the second thing.
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3:27 - 3:30The third thing operates
on a different level. -
3:30 - 3:36As humans we are social,
we are empathic and that's great. -
3:36 - 3:39Wouldn't that be a way to make
mobile phones more intuitive? -
3:39 - 3:41Think of a hamster in the pocket.
-
3:41 - 3:44I can feel it's doing alright.
I don't have to check it. -
3:44 - 3:47Let me show you
the living mobile phone. -
3:47 - 3:50Okay so once again
mobile phone shaped box. -
3:50 - 3:53But this one has a
breath and a heartbeat. -
3:53 - 3:56And it feels very organic.
-
3:56 - 3:58(Laughter)
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3:58 - 4:00And you can tell it's relaxed right now.
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4:00 - 4:02Oh now missed call? A new call?
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4:02 - 4:04New girlfriend maybe?
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4:04 - 4:05Very exciting.
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4:05 - 4:06(Laughter)
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4:06 - 4:08How do we calm it down?
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4:08 - 4:13You give it a pat behind the ears
and everything is alright again. -
4:13 - 4:17So that's very intuitive
and that's what we want. -
4:18 - 4:22So what we have seen are 3 ways
to make the digital graspable for us. -
4:22 - 4:25And I think making it physical
is a good way to do that. -
4:25 - 4:28What's behind that
is a postulation namely that -
4:28 - 4:32not humans should get much
more technical in the future -
4:32 - 4:37rather than that,
technology a bit more human. -
4:37 - 4:39(Applause)
- Title:
- The shape-shifting future of the mobile phone | Fabian Hemmert | TEDxBerlin
- Description:
-
Fabian Hemmert, a PhD student, answers the question, "How can we make digital content graspable for humans?" He shows us 3 ways to bring mobile phones to life.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 04:39
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for The shape-shifting future of the mobile phone | Fabian Hemmert | TEDxBerlin | ||
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for The shape-shifting future of the mobile phone | Fabian Hemmert | TEDxBerlin | ||
Ivana Korom approved English subtitles for The shape-shifting future of the mobile phone | Fabian Hemmert | TEDxBerlin | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for The shape-shifting future of the mobile phone | Fabian Hemmert | TEDxBerlin | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for The shape-shifting future of the mobile phone | Fabian Hemmert | TEDxBerlin | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for The shape-shifting future of the mobile phone | Fabian Hemmert | TEDxBerlin | ||
Ariana Bleau Lugo accepted English subtitles for The shape-shifting future of the mobile phone | Fabian Hemmert | TEDxBerlin | ||
Ariana Bleau Lugo edited English subtitles for The shape-shifting future of the mobile phone | Fabian Hemmert | TEDxBerlin |