This Rollable Tablet Was Inspired by Ancient Scrolls

Think y'all've seen it all? A device chosen the MagicScroll will change that.

Created by a research team at Queen'due south Academy'due south Human being Media Lab in Canada, MagicScroll is being chosen the "globe'due south first rollable bear upon-screen tablet." Inspired by ancient scrolls, the paradigm features a 7.5-inch 2K flexible display rolled around a 3D-printed cylinder that houses the brains of the device.

Rotary wheels on either stop of the cylinder permit you scroll through information on the screen. The display can also be unrolled to function similar a traditional tablet. The researchers say information technology's "much easier to agree with ane hand than an iPad," and fits into a pocket when rolled up.

To run across the MagicScroll in action, check out the video below.

"Nosotros were inspired past the design of ancient scrolls because their form allows for a more natural, uninterrupted experience of long visual timelines," Man Media Lab Managing director Dr. Roel Vertegaal, a professor of human being-reckoner interaction, said in a statement. "Another source of inspiration was the onetime rolodex filing systems that were used to store and browse contact cards."

The design makes it easy to browse long lists and websites, he added.

"Unfolding the scroll is a tangible experience that gives a full screen view of the selected particular," Vertegaal said. "Picture browsing through your Instagram timeline, letters, or LinkedIn contacts this way!"

The researchers hope to evolve the blueprint so it can curlicue into something equally small as a pen, he said.

"More than broadly, the MagicScroll projection is likewise assuasive united states to further examine notions that 'screens don't take to be apartment' and 'annihilation tin can become a screen,'" Vertegaal added. "Whether it'southward a reusable loving cup made of an interactive screen on which you can select your gild before arriving at a coffee-filling kiosk, or a display on your dress, we're exploring how objects can become the apps."

Vertegaal and his team aren't the only ones experimenting with rollable displays. At CES in 2022, LG showed off an OLED display that tin can be rolled upwards similar a newspaper. This year, it showed off a 65-inch version.

About Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo is PCMag's skilful on fitness and smart habitation products. Teaching yoga for well-nigh 10 years has helped her in evaluating a range of connected health products including fettle trackers, heart rate monitors, rowers, smart scales, stationary bikes, strength training machines, treadmills, and more. Angela also tests smart abode devices from her ranch in Florida, including air purifiers, kitchen appliances, and robot vacuums, just to name a few.