Mobile technology has brought to light many interesting features, but not all of them can be hits. In 2013, the Samsung Galaxy S4 was one of the top smartphones on the market and included a feature called Air View, which allowed users to hover a finger above the device’s screen to preview things like images, messages and emails. However, the feature was largely dismissed as gimmicky.
But Synaptics, the biometrics technology company that created Air View, has been able to build upon the feature over time. Synaptics recently shared details on a concept called ‘Leia’ with iDigitalTimes, which uses the hover technology originated for Air View and applies it to a 3D display users can view without 3D glasses.
On a tablet, users are able to hover a finger over a 3D skeleton on screen and move it in any direction. “As you’re hovering over this skeleton and moving it up and down it actually feels like you’re manipulating it,” Synaptics Director of Concept Prototyping Andrew Hsu told iDigi.
We found Leia to be so sensitive to outside stimuli that it even reacted to Hsu’s natural hand movements while speaking, which is a major development since the introduction of the Air View on the Galaxy S4.
“One thing the market has told us is [Air View on the] S4 wasn’t particularly valuable because you were so close to the screen anyway that you might as well have just touched the screen,” Hsu said.
Since then, manufacturers haven’t often utilized such hover features on mobile handsets. Instead, users may find various 3D-Touch features, which allow users to apply different forces of pressure to a display for different functionality. However, to use such features, users still have to touch the display to activate the feature. Apple currently markets its own ForceTouch technology on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
Synaptics also developed its own 3D-Touch mechanism called ClearForce. Rumors suggested the Samsung Galaxy S7 would include ClearForce; however, the smartphone was introduced in February without the feature.
Leia remains in the concept stage at this point, but Hsu said there is promise for the mechanism to be used in computer software development and computer animation. There is a display interface for Leia that works with Unity and WebGL. “We’re hoping that Leia can secure some big design wins,” Hsu said.
But exactly how Leia can have a practical use in the market is still a million dollar question, Hsu said. “It's kind of cool to manipulate 3D objects. The user interface that can be created with this kind of holographic display remains to be seen,” he told iDigi. “I know there’s a lot of attention and work being done trying to get some software, UI trying to support it.”
