Researchers at the University of Electro-communications in Tokyo and the Japan Science & Technology agency, have recently showcased a new “3D multi-tactile” technology which they have named PhotoelasticTouch.
The system uses transparent rubber objects that interact as an input device to a computer. The “trick” is that above the screen (in between the user hands and the screen) there is a camera with a polarized filter that captures the polarized light that the LCD screen emits. This way, the camera can easiliy detect when the transparent rubber object changes its shape, because the polarized light from the screen also changes.
Via Singularityhub.