Vertical Divider

Seamless Smartphones, Note 10 and the Use of Micro-Pressure Strain Sensors
April 01, 2019
​ 
By investing in a ‘keyless’ Chinese company, Samsung could be signaling its intent to create a ‘seamless’ smartphone that uses micro strain gauges instead of buttons to create a phone that has a smooth and almost unbroken surface.  Expectations are that the Note 10, which should be released in August will be the first Samsung smartphone to eliminate buttons in favor of pressure sensitive pads, and unless there is some unusually strong negative response from consumers, the technology will be used on other upcoming Samsung phones. The touch technology was developed by Shenzhen New Degree Technology, a company that Samsung Ventures, a VC arm of Samsung Electronics, has invested in, along with a number of prominent smartphone brands who are partners with NDT including LG Electronics, 3M, and a variety of Taiwanese and Chinese smartphone and device brands.  The company reportedly provided sensors on the Meizu 16/+ and the GooglePixel 2, but not to eliminate power and volume buttons, which remain on the sides of the device.  Samsung is taking the idea of a highly sensitive strain sensor a bit further in order to eliminate mechanical buttons.

The technology behind New Degree’s strain sensors is piezo-resistive, where the flexible material changes its resistance when it is stretched or compressed. It is a single layer that can be printed on substrates or formed into a sheet that can be peeled and placed directly behind the display.  Samsung is both eliminating the mechanical buttons that break the symmetry of its smartphones and the problem of wear, which can cause buttons to malfunction over time.  As the strain material can be formed into almost any shape, button locations can stay the same to help consumers adjust, but just pressing where the button used to be would accomplish the same process without a physical switch or cutout. The 
 
technology could see further adoption on both conformed smartphones and potentially foldable devices, as the sensor material is flexible enough to survive the additional rigor that foldable devices will likely face. From SCMR, LLC
 
Figure 1: Simple Micro-Pressure Strain Sensor

Source: Shenzhen New Degree Technology

Figure 2:"Peel & Stick" Sensor Material

Source: Shenzhen New Degree Technology
​

Figure 3: Side Strip Sensor 

Source: Shenzhen New Degree Technology
​