Skip to main content

This clever new touch sensitive film could revolutionize wearable tech design

Carbon film
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Finnish touchscreen experts at Canatu have perfected a flexible, transparent film that could turn just about any surface into a touch sensor. Canatu calls the new material Carbon NanoBuds, and it’s made using a complex hybridization process which overcomes problems previously associated with using nanotubes to create flexible, touch sensitive surfaces.

The result is a film which can stretch and flex over almost anything you can think of, ultimately turning it into a touch sensitive surface. Even when the Carbon NanoBud film is wrapped around something like a cable, performance barely changes. This opens up the possibility of touch sensitive headphone cables, touch controls on a curving car dashboard, or anywhere a physical button is inconvenient or impossible to place.

Canatu Carbon NanoBud CarBecause of this, Canatu envisages Carbon NanoBud technology being used on smart watches and other wearable devices, where flowing, curved designs are aesthetically important, but often technologically challenging. Canatu’s film can bend, flex, and fold around edges, potentially freeing designers to make better looking wearable products.

According to the MIT Technology Review, manufacturers have been experimenting with carbon nanotubes to create more flexible touchscreens for some time, but due to poor conductivity and an expensive manufacturing process, the research hasn’t flourished. Canatu’s hybrid film solves the problem of conductivity, and it claims to have found a way to make them cheaply. It has already invested in equipment to make enough film to cover hundreds of thousands of smartphones per month, and in 2015, expects to increase the output to millions.

The report notes only one drawback, saying the Carbon Nanbud film isn’t suitable for “very large screens,”  due to reduced sensitivity, but doesn’t state whether that means a tablet or a television. Canatu’s staying quiet about any mobile industry partnerships, but we’re hoping that’ll change in the near future.

Editors' Recommendations

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
The best Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 screen protectors
Person holding skateboard while wearing the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.

A new, sleek design and digital bezel help the Galaxy Watch 4 stand out in the crowd and set it apart from the traditional style of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. Whether you've picked up a 40mm model with a 1.2-inch Super AMOLED screen or opted for more screen real estate with the 44mm model, that stand-out design needs protecting from scratches and knocks. That means it's time for our picks of the best Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 screen protectors, with something to suit all budgets.

These screen protectors will all fit the 40mm or 44mm models of the Galaxy Watch 4. If you've got a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, these won't fit.
Spigen Glas.tR EZ Fit Screen Protector

Read more
How to remove watch links from the strap on your new watch
how to remove watch links fossil q explorist

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all smartwatch. If your wrists are on the smaller size, then you may find that your new smartwatch is dangling from your wrist and sliding up your forearm. No need to worry — it's a common problem. Chances are there are at least one too many chain links on the strap, but adjusting a metal-link smartwatch band isn't as difficult as you might think — and doesn't usually require a trip to the jewelers.

We'll take you through everything you need to know and the tools you'll need handy to remove links from your smartwatch so it fits snugly on your wrist.

Read more
Best Cyber Monday Deals 2022: Laptops, TVs, AirPods, and more
Best Cyber Monday Deals 2022

Cyber Week is here! With some truly epic deals out there, this is the best time of year to buy a new tech gadget. If you slept through the Black Friday sales, then the Cyber Monday sales, you better grab what you need during this week of slowly diminishing deals. From tablets to air fryers, laptops to smartwatches, we've rounded up the best Cyber Monday deals across a range of categories, and you'll find them all below.
Cyber Monday sales: Quick links

Amazon: Huge discounts on laptops, Echo devices, and tablets
Best Buy: Your destination for sales on super-sized TVs
Dell: Unbeatable discounts on gaming laptops, monitors, and more
Gamestop: Cheap video games, console accessories and monitors
HP: Gaming PCs, laptops, monitors, and printers from $129
Kohl's: Home decor, clothing and kitchen appliance steals
Lowe’s: Up to 60% off appliances like refrigerators and decor
Staples: Save big on laptops, home office hardware and supplies
Target: Tons of cheap kitchen appliances and stocking-fillers
Walmart: Great for laptops, and is restocking PS5 and Xbox Series X

Read more