Motorola patent reveals folding roll-up phone

There is a point when mobile devices will become so tiny, that they will cross the line of portability, and become awkward to use. The smaller the device gets, the harder on the eyes and hands it’ll be. A new patent from Motorola reveals a solution to the problem of the constant demand for smaller and smaller devices, though still offering functionality.

The patent titled “User Interface System” details a device with a foldable roll-up display and keypad. Previously, the problem with devices like this is that foldable materials aren’t exactly highly functional either. Try typing on a piece of material flapping in the wind. Motorola figured out a solution to the problem using a reservoir with electrorheological fluid beneath the foldable parts of the device. When an electrical charge is applied to the material, it becomes rigid.