Sentons works with Foxconn, seeking to completely eliminate physical buttons on the phone

This is a prime example of a physical node being gradually replaced. Another example is the AirTriggers on ASUS ROG Phone II - This system is similar to the buttons on the console console, which gives you comfortable game control and can perform more operations. On ASUS ROG Phone II, 2 entangled physical buttons have been replaced by 2 ultrasonic buttons.

Sentons is a technology manufacturing company for ROG Phone II, and their new goal is to replace the physical buttons on the phone with a separate solution they call SDS Buttonbar, where SDS stands for 'Software- Defined Surfaces'.

SDS ButtonBar is arguably a physical button alternative, it is designed to provide advanced virtual button functions. The technology allows manufacturers to place 20 small sensors in phones where physical buttons are often located. The sensor occupies an area of ​​only 1.9 inches and can be placed anywhere in the phone. These sensors function as volume and power buttons when touched or pressed.

Sentons said their solution was designed to reject (unresponsive) wrong touches. This solution will also work with devices designed with water and moisture resistance.

Sentons will partner with Foxconn, one of the largest contract manufacturing companies in the technology world. It is expected that this partnership will lead to more manufacturers adopting this technology solution.

In addition, Sentons also has other solutions such as Slider Bars that can be used to navigate gestures such as scrolling or zooming the camera. You may also find sensors that support similar "squeeze" actions on Pixel phones, which allow you to launch apps or perform pre-configured actions.

Reference: Gizmochina