The WhammyPhone Is a Flexible Smartphone That Makes Music When You Bend It

The concept of flexible smartphone displays is nothing new in the world of mobile technology. The concept of a bendable smartphone that plays music, well that’s a first. Researchers at the Human Media Lab at Queen’s University have developed just that—the WhammyPhone allows users to bend the screen to produce sound effects on a virtual instrument, such as a guitar or violin.

As the video below demonstrates, the WhammyPhone boasts a range of applications. For starters, the bend input can be employed to simulate bending a string on a virtual guitar, providing Hendrix’ style feedback sounds. Or, it can be used to simulate the bowing of a simulated violin. A final example shows how the WhammyPhone can control loops in electronic dance music, making it more intuitive for DJs to interact with their instruments.

The real importance of WhammyPhone is that it provides the same kind of kinesthetic feedback that, say, a string provides when it is bent to alter the pitch. This kind of effect is critical for musicians to control their expression, and provides another level of utility for bend input in smartphones.

While there is currently no word as to whether or not the WhammyPhone will hit the market one day, you can see it in action below.