Touchscreens have lessened the need for physical interactive components in devices. But sometimes, they make things, like games, better. Imagine needing to use specially shaped objects to solve a puzzle, or facing a mini-robot standing on top of your screen?

Michael Knuepfel explored this concept as part of his thesis for NYU's ITP design program, and developed seven devices for making touchscreens more interactive and/or functional. I mean, I'm not even sure what you'd need a stylus plugged into your audio jack for, but the mere idea of it excites me. [Vimeo via Make]