Despite the rapid advancement of smartphones and tablets, accessory makers continually find new ways to enhance the mobile device experience. No longer are cases and covers just for rugged protection, as many provide additional features on top of that. Handscape is set to change how people interact with devices. The company's HandyCase is designed to let users operate touchscreens with fingers set behind the device.
Like most mobile cases, the HandyCase is form-fitted to attach directly to the back of smartphones and tablets. But what's special about the HandyCase's design is the way it enables devices to "see through" the hardware. Fingers making contact with the case are registered as if they touched the screen itself. Users can maintain a full, two-handed grip on a tablet and operate it comfortably without hands obscuring content.
The HandyCase's patented technology communicates the touch of fingers to one or more devices via Bluetooth. Unlike camera or infrared systems, the HandyCase works in any type of lighting conditions. The flexible, high-resolution sensor is designed to provide stable touch-interaction with up to 10 registered contact points. And since the HandyCase's functionality is in addition to devices' normal screen operation, users benefit by having a greater range of ergonomic comfort versus control.
While the HandyCase may be able to "see through" devices, human eyes are stuck with traditional, non-x-ray vision. The Handscape mobile app supports a number of applications while providing an underlay of visible fingers. The current options to choose from are human hands, x-ray hands, and robot hands, with more expected to be developed.
The Handscape HandyCase is currently funding on Kickstarter, having reached 24 percent of its US$100,000 goal in just a day, with another 45 days to go. The HandyCase is available for the iPhone 6/6+, iPad Mini, and iPad Air in choice of neon green, pink, gold, and silver. Pledges start at $99, which includes the cost of worldwide shipping. Developers can get their hands on a HandyCase and the Handscape SDK for iOS for a pledge of $999.
If tooling, testing, and production go according to plan, backers can expect to receive deliveries of HandyCases sometime in April, 2016. Check out the video below for feature highlights.
Sources: Handscape, Kickstarter