APPARATUS WITH ELASTICALLY TRANSFORMABLE BODY

• US 20120078999A1
• Filed: 09/27/2010
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Andrew, Piers, Jokinen, Teppo Tapani, Salo, Antti, Yan, Qifeng, Kosonen, Matti, Partanen, Lotta Maaria, Saunamäki, Jarkko Tapio
• Granted Patent: US 10,139,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves

Abstract

An apparatus comprises a transformable body configured to be elastically stretchable between at least a first configuration and a second configuration, a user input device, a user input device configured to receive user input signal, a communication interface configured to provide a wireless link for the apparatus and a flexible interconnection between at least two components within the transformable body. The apparatus may perform determining of user information based on the user input signal, transmitting at least part of the user information over the wireless link to a remote processing unit, receiving feedback information from the remote processing unit and presenting the feedback information to the user.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a transformable body configured to be elastically stretchable between at least a first configuration and a second configuration;

a user output device;

a user input device configured to receive user input signal;

a communication interface configured to provide a wireless link for the apparatus;

a flexible interconnection between at least two components within the transformable body;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform;

determine user information based on the user input signal;

transmit at least part of the user information over the wireless link to a remote processing unit;

receive feedback information from the remote processing unit; and

present the feedback information to the user utilizing the user output device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is wearable on a user skin.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus is attached to the user skin using at least one of the following:

adhesive material, deforming a wrap-around to a body part of the user and a suction cup.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user input device comprises at least one of the following:

a microphone, a flexible touch screen and a sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user output device comprises at least one of the following:

a flexible display, a flexible touch screen, a speaker, a light source, a vibrator and the transformable body.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote processing unit is a cloud processing unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote processing unit is another apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transformable body comprises at least one of the following substrates:

dielectric elastomer, electroactive polymer, ionic polymer-metal composite, ionic gel, carbon nanotube, conductive polymer, ferroelectric polymer, polymer electret, electrostrictive polymer, relaxor ferroelectric polymer, electrostrictive graft-copolymer, liquid crystal elastomer, and mixtures thereof.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible interconnection comprises at least one of the following materials:

conductive polymer, nanotechnology material, metallic conductor in/on stretchable substrate, and combinations thereof.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one component of the apparatus being transparent.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the transparency is realized using at least one material of the following:

tin-doped indium oxide, carbon nanotube, transparent conducting oxide, and combinations thereof.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a positioning device configured to determine a position information of the apparatus, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

use the position information in the determining of the user information.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising

a sensor configured to determine characteristics of a user.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sensor configured to determine the characteristics of the user comprises at least one of the following:

a motion sensor, user body temperature meter and pulse meter.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the characteristics of the user comprise at least one of the following:

movement information of the user, body temperature of the user and pulse of the user.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

determine the user information based on a gesture identified using the movement information of the user.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless link comprises at least one of the following:

a cellular radio access, a non-cellular radio access and a peer-to-peer radio access.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first configuration being an on-skin wearing configuration in which the body of the apparatus having a first size, and the second configuration being an operating configuration in which the body of the apparatus being transformed to a second size.

19. A method comprising:

elastically transforming a stretchable body of an apparatus between a first configuration and a second configuration, the body comprising;

a user output device;

a communication interface configured to provide a wireless link for the apparatus;

a user input device configured to receive user input signal; and

a flexible interconnection between at least two components within the transformable body;

determining user information based on the user input signal;

transmitting at least part of the user information over the wireless link to a remote processing unit;

receiving feedback information from the remote processing unit; and

presenting the feedback information to the user utilizing the user output device.

20. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium comprising computer executable program code which, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform:

determine a configuration of a transformable body configured to be elastically stretchable;

receive a user input signal;

determine user information based on the user input signal;

transmit at least part of the user information over the wireless link to a remote processing unit;

receive feedback information from the remote processing unit; and

present the feedback information to the user.