French Designers Invent Sleek, Squishy, Ergonomic Smartphone

Two French designers have taken futuristic smartphones to the next level. Their Alo phone is voice-activated, soft-bodied, and projects movies and messages as 3D holograms, because why not?

Voice-activated technology, once the stuff of science fiction, has become quite commonplace in recent years, controlling everything from our cars to our TV sets. The Alo, from accomplished designers Philippe Starck and Jerome Olivet, takes advantage of the science-fiction functionality—and a few others, as well.

The phone’s translucent body is soft and pliable, designed to rest comfortably in one hand. It also communicates by touch, growing warm or vibrating with message or phone call notifications. The gelatinous skin protects the phone’s aluminum inner core and can heal itself like a silicone cutting board.

Outgoing messages can be dictated rather than typed. Because the phone is almost entirely voice activated, it doesn’t need space for a keyboard, which keeps it streamlined while making room for other apparently necessary features, like 3D holograms.

The Alo is still in its conceptual phase. Starck and Olivet are working now to develop a prototype. They see their phone as the natural next step in our cyborg-like entanglement with our devices. "It is a true artificial intelligence," Olivet told Dezeen. "We can no longer separate from this device."