A newly unearthed patent application from Motorola has revealed a design for a cellphone that features a foldable / roll-upable display and keypad. While the concept is nothing new, it appears that Motorola believes that it can overcome many of the structural problems that these devices face by incorporating a reservoir with electrorheological fluid beneath the foldable display or keypad. When electric current is applied, the fluid becomes solid. When the current is absent, the opposite occurs.
https://gizmodo.com/philips-readius-materializes-with-fold-away-screen-347272
In other words, when a call comes in, electric current will be applied to the fluid and the display will roll out. Miraculously, the display will transform into a solid state similar to a normal phone. As mentioned previously, this technology could also be applied to the keyboard—resulting in a phone with a form factor small enough to make it a choking hazard. However, keep in mind that this is a patent application, and it could be nothing more than the fanciful musings of some Motorola employee. [Patent Application via Unwired View]
