The Huawei Mate 30 Pro doesn’t have physical volume control buttons, thanks to its waterfall display. To control the volume, you have to double-tap either side of the phone before an on-screen volume control pops up which you can slide up or down.
The above is one example of how physical buttons have been replaced. Another example is the AirTriggers on the ASUS ROG Phone II which are designed to replicate the shoulder or trigger buttons of a gamepad.
Sentons is the company that made the tech for the ROG Phone II and their new goal is to replace the physical buttons on phones with their own solution which is called SDS Buttonbar, where SDS is short for Software-Defined Surfaces.
SDS ButtonBar is said to be a button replacement solution that is “designed to provide advanced virtual button functionalities”. The technology allows manufacturers to place 20 tiny sensors in the phone where the physical buttons usually reside. The sensors occupy an area that measures just 1.9-inches and can be placed anywhere inside the phone. These sensors function as the volume and power buttons when touched or pressed.
Sentons says their solution is designed to reject false touches and can identify touches and presses. It is also said to work with devices that are designed to be waterproof.
The partnership with Foxconn, which is one of the biggest contract manufacturers in the world, should result in more manufacturers adopting the technology.
While ButtonBar is the solution it is advertising, Sentons has other solutions such as Slider Bars which can be used for gesture navigation such as scrolling or as a virtual zoom button for the camera. You can also have squeeze sensors similar to what is available on the Pixel phones, that will allow you to launch apps or carry out pre-configured actions.
Sentons solutions can be applied to other devices too such as smartwatches. With this application, you can totally ditch the crown or buttons on a watch and instead control the watch by sliding on the sides of the case or squeezing the frame to begin tracking.
There are several applications and we look forward to seeing the technology becoming mainstream.
UP NEXT: How to get Pixel 4 like motion gestures on your Android smartphone
