Nokia Reveals 'Morph' Concept Phone

It's called Morph, and telecom giant Nokia says it represents the future. What is it? A flexible, bendable mobile phone built using nanotechnology. While the thin, lime-colored device is only a demo developed in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, Nokia says some of its components may make their way into high-end Nokia handsets within seven years.

Developed by the Nokia Research Center (NRC), the Morph demonstrates how future mobile devices might be stretchable and flexible, allowing users to transform their phone into radically different shapes. It also demonstrates the functionality nanotechnology might be capable of delivering, including the use of flexible materials, transparent electronics and self-cleaning surfaces. The device is flexible enough to bend around a wrist and be used as a bracelet.

"We hope that this combination of art and science will showcase the potential of nanoscience to a wider audience," Dr. Tapani Ryhanen, head of the NRC Cambridge UK laboratory, said in a statement. "The research we are carrying out is fundamental to this as we seek a safe and controlled way to develop and use new materials."

Nokia admits after five years of work there are still technological issues to resolve, such as battery power, before a marketable phone is a reality. "Nokia Research Center is looking at ways to reinvent the form and function of mobile devices," Nokia CTO Bob Iannucci said in a statement. "The Morph concept shows what might be possible."

The device is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City as part of the "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibition.

Tweet

   

More Components & Peripherals