The Future of Graphics Tablet

It is better to rename this future technology to be “Laser Virtual Tablet”. By 2025, the technology of digital graphic tablet will break the current physical limitation on size, weight and hard tactility by using laser projecting technique, which allows digital artists to carry, use and enjoy digital drawing more conveniently.

By 2009, each graphic tablet contains three parts: a tablet with USB wire, a pen like device with special sensitive lead inside, and a pen holder to protect the pen while it is not being hold by hand. After enlighten by the idea of Laser Virtual Keyboard developed around 2007(Power Positioning,2007), in 2015, the actual tablet, wire and pen holder will disappear, only the pen will be left, with an additional “pen cap”. This cap contains a tiny internal laser projector, memory program and can be connected to computer wirelessly. Users can put the pen in pocket and take it to anywhere instead of carrying the actual heavy tablet. When start drawing, they just need to put the pen cap on the desk or other still place and turn on the switch. It will execute two tasks. Firstly, projecting a visual canvas on the desk, the wall or any other smooth surface. The projecting angel and canvas size can be freely adjusted by users, images drawn by using the pen will also be projected on the canvas at the same time. Secondly, receiving and storing the data of the interaction between the pen and projected canvas. Basic software of pencil drawing and simple coloring is built inside the pen cap, which allows users to draw a draft images without the support of computer. However, When the pen cap is connected to the computer, more software can be used for further production for making detailed images and animation. It can also be connected to mobile phones, in order to help users sending the image directly to their friends and teammates, having discuss and more communication immediately. By 2025, when the internal memory is getting bigger inside of the pen cap, bigger painting software will be built in.

This technology is specially developed for digital artists and students who travel a lot but can not carry laptop and drawing pads with them all the time, and people who have passion or need to draw their new ideas, sketches in different place. Virtual tablet has the new affordance to achieve “mobile drawing”, with its smooth and tiny shape, size, and wider development to simulate real drawing which are listed below.

Drawing in the current observable universe is more interesting and fluid than drawing on the computer(Tardiff, 2008) Although the graphic tablets has been able to apply the function of pressure effect before 2009, the tactility between the pen lead and the tablet was still too hard to simulate the natural softness of drawing on paper. Virtual tablet has better tactility functions developed, and also , the projecting angel allows user not only draw on the desk ,but can also draw in easel position. Different ways of holding the pen can make the drawing more natural and free.

More over, the virtual tablet will breakthrough the limitation of “mouse clicking mode by using single hand”, users will be able to use both hands and make the drawing process more efficiency and real. Other than holding the pen and drawing in one hand, the other hand will take responsbility on adjusting canvas setting, mixing colors by touching a small transparent ,thin, wheel shaped pad beside the canvas. This technique is developed in 2020 as an additional product for the virtual tablet. Similar to the touch wheel of Ipod,this transparent wheel pad can be easily re-sticked on any flat surface by static, and it will receive the 360 degree action from human finger.

In 2011, more and more reports of increased health problem from digital graphic workers, such as cervical spondylosis by over repeating turning head between monitor and tablet, gives a big pressure impact to the tablet developers. Therefore, the main direction of graphic tablet development start turning onto “screen drawing”, which is focusing on combine monitor onto graphic tablet and apply pressure sensors and arrays onto them. But the cost is getting higher than regular tablet, it is heavier to carry and easy to break. The sales marketing is even worse than previous regular tablet, and is fallen into disuse in 2013. The technology of graphic tablet begins to move onto the track of virtual in 2015 and then get a wider and stronger satisfaction from the users.
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References:
Power Positioning. (2007). I-Tech Virtual Laser Keyboard. Retrieved April 4th, 2009, from http://www.virtual-laser-keyboard.com/
Tardiff, M. (2008)Comment to Real Drawing v.s Digital Drawing, Retrieved April 4th ,2009, from http://blendfilmsinc.blogspot.com/2008/06/drawing-digital-vs-real-drawing.html