Sensel Morph Challenges Apple Force Touch

One of the newest innovations from the good people at Apple is aptly named Force Touch. Essentially, what Force Touch does is measure the force of pressure being exerted by a user on a trackpad or mobile device surface. This allows for more precise control of movements and increased versatility and functionality for developers. From the MacBook design page:

The sensory capabilities of the Force Touch trackpad allow you to tell your MacBook what you want it to do based on subtle differences in the amount of pressure you apply. This makes it possible to perform a variety of different actions in different apps, all on the same surface. And it can respond with haptic feedback you can actually feel, making your MacBook more usable and personal than ever before.

Sounds amazing. Truly a giant leap forward in mobile and laptop technology. It’s just too bad a new startup has come along and designed a better one.

Sensel is the innovative company behind the Sensel Morph — The next generation of pressure sensitive touch pads.

With 20,000 individual sensor devices, this new input device is leaps and bounds more precise than anything else on the market. Company founders Ilya Rosenberg and Aaron Zarraga have showcased several overlays that transform their product into many other devices. One overlay coverts it into a simple QWERTY keyboard. Another gives users access to a small piano, with all the sensitivity that actual piano keys would afford a skilled pianist. Still another can be used by DJs to play their mixes and control the content in real time.

Artists and creators of all kinds can greatly benefit from this new technology as well. The Sensel Morph can pick up the delicate sweeps of a brush stroke just as easily as canvass. It can transfer an artist’s drawing directly onto the screen with a simple flick of the pencil.

I think the main draw of this piece of tech is its versatility. It is so many things all in one device. It will truly revolutionize the tech industry. There will no longer be a need for 2 or 3 or 4 different input devices. You can do it all with the Sensel Morph. It’s already made well over its Kickstarter goal of $60,000 and it still has over a month to go in its campaign. I predict good things from this company and can’t wait to get my hand on my own device.