A mechanical component is provided. The component can have a core, a sheath circumferentially surrounding the core, and an insulator between the core and the sheath. The core can include a shape memory material that is arranged to move from an initial form to an activated form upon a temperature of the core warming past a transition temperature of the shape memory material. A distal portion of the sheath can be in electrical communication with a distal portion of the core, while the insulator blocks a flow of electrical current between a proximal portion of the sheath and a proximal portion of the core.

A transmission shifter includes a base defining P, R, N, D gear positions; four electrical dome switches associated with each of the P, R, N, D gear positions, and analog and digital circuits operably connected to the electrical switches, respectively, and associated with the P, R, N, D gear positions. The dome switches are arranged in different patterns in each of the different gear positions, and in combination with pushbutton actuators operate with different actuator motions and with different closure distances and forces to cause reliable ad confirmed intentional actuation, including redundancy. The switches are operably connected to analog and digital circuits, which provides additional functional advantage, reliability, and certainty of intentional operation.

An electronic device may have a multi-touch display device and a texturizing polymer layer. The texturizing polymer layer can elevate a surface portion of the texturizing polymer layer to a level to texturize information displayed on the multi-touch display device. A gesture may be detected for the elevated surface portion.

An information view may be displayed on a multi-touch display based on a touch input and based on detected pressure and a depth from a three dimensional touch input on a displayed image on the multi-touch display.

Disclosed are systems and methods associated with a touch-sensitive input device including a plurality of keys, wherein each key of the plurality of keys includes at least one spring. Such a spring may include a substantially planar peak located at a central portion of the spring, a first substantially arcuate leg extending from the peak in a first direction, and a second substantially arcuate leg extending from the peak in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. In one embodiment, a resistive force provided by the at least one spring decreases after the peak travels a first distance from an initial position of the peak. In such an embodiment, the first distance is less than or equal to approximately of a range of travel of the peak.

An electronic apparatus having an input device is disclosed. The input device is capable of reducing the sound generated when an operation-input part returns to its original position after being pressed. The input device includes a base plate having a hook standing towards the operation-input part. The operation-input part has an arm member that can come into contact with the hook. A contact of the arm member with the hook specifies an ascending limit of the operation-input part, and at least one of the arm member and the hook has elasticity in their contacting direction to reduce rebound sound.

Different types of user inputs can be input by a user via a keyboard of an input device. These different types of user inputs include, for example, key strikes, multi-touch interactions, single finger motions, and/or mouse clicks. Touch information regarding the pressure applied to the keys of a pressure sensitive keyboard over time (or the contact area of the user input for other types of keyboards over time) is used to classify the intent of the user input as one of the various types of user inputs.

Flexible hinge and removable attachment techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a flexible hinge is configured to communicatively and physically couple an input device to a computing device and may implement functionality such as a support layer and minimum bend radius. The input device may also include functionality to promote a secure physical connection between the input device and the computing device. One example of this includes use of one or more protrusions that are configured to be removed from respective cavities of the computing device along a particular axis but mechanically bind along other axes. Other techniques include use of a laminate structure to form a connection portion of the input device.

Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.

An electronic device may have a multi-touch display device and a texturizing polymer layer. The texturizing polymer layer can elevate a surface portion of the texturizing polymer layer to a level to texturize information displayed on the multi-touch display device. A gesture may be detected for the elevated surface portion.