Testing user interface functionality through actuation of piezoelectric grids

Abstract

The present invention discloses testing of user interface functions through actuation of a piezoelectric grid. Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems, methods, and computer-readable media that facilitate testing of user-selectable functions on a user interface of a computing device, wherein a piezoelectric grid including a piezoelectric material that deforms when electricity is applied is mounted to a surface of a user interface of the computing device. In a specific embodiment, a method provides a control mapping of an area where a piezoelectric grid is generated to a location on a user interface of the computing device. The method further provides a test instruction that receives actuation information including a target portion of the user interface of the computing device. The method further provides processing the test instruction and the control mapping to determine a control signal for the piezoelectric grid to implement the test instruction, and sending the control signal to the piezoelectric grid to actuate the target portion of the user interface of the computing device.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application based on the patent application with application number 201711161220.2, application date November 21, 2017, and invention name “Testing user interface functions by actuating a piezoelectric grid”. Technical Field

[0002] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to testing user interface functionality of a computing system, and in particular to using a piezoelectric grid to remotely actuate a user interface. Background Art

[0003] Computing systems typically include a user interface that enables user interaction with the device. The user interface may include buttons, switches, joysticks, touch screens, and other actuation elements that can be physically selected by a human user. Manufacturers, software developers, and other interested parties of computing systems often desire to test the actuation of the user interface to ensure proper operation.

[0004] Ideally, during the testing phase, the user interface of the computing system should be operated in the same manner as it would be used by a human user. However, utilizing a human tester to operate the equipment is very expensive and prone to error, especially when testing a large number of devices. An automated solution involves using a special robot to actuate various buttons and other elements of the user interface, but these systems are usually large, expensive to construct and difficult to maintain. Another approach is to utilize special test software, but this solution may result in testing the equipment in an environment different from the situation of real-world deployment, which may change the behavior of the computing system and generate unreliable test results. Summary of the invention

[0005] Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems, methods, and computer-readable media that facilitate testing of user-selectable functions on a user interface of a computing device, wherein a piezoelectric grid including a piezoelectric material that deforms when electricity is applied is mounted to a surface of the user interface of the computing device. In a particular embodiment, a method provides a control mapping of an area of ​​the piezoelectric grid to a location on the user interface of the computing device. The method further provides receiving a test instruction, the test instruction including actuation information of a target portion of the user interface of the computing device. The method further provides processing the test instruction and the control mapping to determine a control signal for the piezoelectric grid to implement the test instruction, and sending the control signal to the piezoelectric grid to actuate the target portion of the user interface of the computing device.

[0006] In some embodiments, the control signal provides an electrical charge to an area of ​​the piezoelectric grid that is mapped to a target portion of the user interface.

[0007] In some embodiments, the control signal provides an electric charge to an area of ​​the piezoelectric grid mapped to the target portion of the user interface by providing an electric field of sufficient strength to effectuate actuation of the target portion of the user interface.

[0008] In some embodiments, generating a control mapping of regions of the piezoelectric grid to locations on a user interface of a computing device includes defining where a plurality of buttons of the user interface are located relative to their corresponding portions of the piezoelectric grid.

[0009] In some embodiments, generating a control mapping of regions of the piezoelectric grid to locations on a user interface of the computing device includes mapping coordinates on the piezoelectric grid to locations of device actuators on the user interface of the computing device.

[0010] In some embodiments, receiving test instructions including actuation information of a target portion of the user interface includes receiving test instructions including actuation information of one or more device actuators of the user interface.

[0011] In some embodiments, the one or more device actuators of the user interface include one or more pressure sensitive areas of the user interface.

[0012] In some embodiments, processing the test instructions and the control map to determine the control signal for the piezoelectric grid includes determining coordinates on the piezoelectric grid corresponding to a target portion of the user interface to which the control signal is to be applied.

[0013] In some embodiments, processing the test instructions and the control map to determine the control signal for the piezoelectric mesh includes determining a magnitude of charge provided by the control signal required to cause the piezoelectric material of the piezoelectric mesh to physically actuate a target portion of the user interface.

[0014] In some embodiments, the actuation information of the target portion of the user interface includes a touch screen gesture of the target portion of the user interface.

[0015] In yet another embodiment, a control system is provided to facilitate testing of user-selectable functions on a user interface of a computing device, wherein a piezoelectric grid including a piezoelectric material that deforms when electricity is applied is mounted to a surface of the user interface of the computing device. The control system includes one or more computer-readable storage media and a processing system operatively coupled to the one or more computer-readable storage media. The control system further includes program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media, the program instructions, when read and executed by the processing system, directing the processing system to generate a control mapping of regions of the piezoelectric grid to locations on the user interface of the computing device. The program instructions further direct the processing system to receive a test instruction including actuation information of a target portion of the user interface of the computing device. The program instructions also direct the processing system to process the test instruction and the control mapping to determine a control signal for the piezoelectric grid to implement the test instruction, and to send the control signal to the piezoelectric grid to actuate the target portion of the user interface of the computing device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although several implementations are described in conjunction with these drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to the implementations disclosed herein. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents.

[0017] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a communications environment that facilitates testing of user-selectable functions on a user interface of a computing device.

[0018] Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating a control system to facilitate testing of user-selectable functions on a user interface of a computing device.

[0019] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a user interface of a computing device having a piezoelectric grid mounted thereon in an exemplary embodiment.

[0020] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an operational scenario of activating a piezoelectric grid to press a button of a user interface of a computing device in an exemplary embodiment.

[0021] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a computing architecture for implementing a control system that facilitates testing of user-selectable functions on a user interface of a computing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following description and associated drawings teach the best mode of the present invention. For the purpose of teaching creative principles, some conventional aspects of the best mode may be simplified or omitted. The following claims specify the scope of the present invention. Note that some aspects of the best mode may not fall within the scope of the present invention specified by the claims. Therefore, those skilled in the art will be aware of variations of the best mode that fall within the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features described below can be combined in various ways to form multiple variations of the present invention. As a result, the present invention is not limited to the specific examples described below, but is only limited by the claims and their equivalents.

[0023] As mentioned in the background technology above, it is a very common problem to test the user interface of a computing device by remote actuation. In order to provide a more cost-effective and practical means for testing the user-selectable functions of a computing device, the following disclosure utilizes the piezoelectric effect. Generally, the piezoelectric effect occurs when a mechanical force is applied to certain types of piezoelectric materials, and a resulting charge is generated. In turn, when an electric charge is applied, the piezoelectric effect will also deform the material. This latter example is an example that will be used for the technology described herein.

[0024] Specifically, the following disclosure proposes a grid made of piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric grid can then be placed over a set of buttons or some other actuators on a user interface of a computing device that needs to be tested. Figure 3 An example is shown of how such a grid can be placed above the dial pad of a telephone device. Applying specific charges to the vertical and horizontal segments of the grid causes the piezoelectric material to deform at various points. Thus, when a test scenario requires pressing a specific button, a charge that deforms the grid around the target button can be applied to the grid, causing the button to be pressed. When the charge is stopped, the piezoelectric grid will return to its original state and the button is released.

[0025] Reference now Figure 1 , a block diagram illustrating a communication environment 100 is shown. Elements of the communication environment 100 may be utilized to facilitate testing of user-selectable functions on a user interface of a computing device. The communication environment 100 includes a control system 110 and a computing device 101. The control system 110 and the computing device 101 communicate via a communication link 111. The computing device 101 includes a user interface 102. A piezoelectric grid 103 is mounted to a surface of the user interface 102 of the computing device 101. The piezoelectric grid 103 includes a piezoelectric material that deforms when electricity is applied.

[0026] In operation, the control system 110 may be configured with a mapping of the various control actuators of the user interface 102 relative to the corresponding areas of the piezoelectric grid 103. The control system 110 may then cooperate with the test program to actuate the various user-selectable control elements on the user interface 102 of the computing device 101 as required by the test program. Figure 2 Example operations that facilitate testing of user-selectable functions on user interface 102 of computing device 101 are discussed.

[0027] Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating operation 200 of communication environment 100 . Figure 2 The operation 200 shown in FIG. 2 may also be referred to herein as the test process 200. The steps of the operation are indicated below in parentheses. The following discussion of the operation 200 will refer to Figure 1 The control system 110 and computing device 101 are described in order to illustrate their operation, but note that Figure 1 The details provided in the examples are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of process 200 to Figure 1 The specific implementation shown in .

[0028] Operation 200 may be employed by control system 110 to facilitate testing of user-selectable functions on user interface 102 of computing device 101. Figure 2 As shown in the operational flow of FIG. 1 , the control system 110 generates a control mapping of regions of the piezoelectric grid 103 to locations on the user interface 102 of the computing device 101 (201). As discussed above, the piezoelectric grid 103, which includes a piezoelectric material that deforms when electricity is applied, is mounted to a surface of the user interface 102. For example, the piezoelectric grid 103 may include a mesh of piezoelectric material overlaid onto the surface of the user interface 102. Any type of suitable piezoelectric material may be utilized to create the piezoelectric grid 103, including various crystals (such as quartz, aluminum phosphate, and topaz), synthetic crystals and ceramics, piezoelectric ceramics, semiconductor crystals, polymers (such as polyvinylidene fluoride), or any other type of material that exhibits piezoelectric properties. The control mapping generated by the control system 110 generally maps different regions of the piezoelectric grid 103 to corresponding locations on the user interface 102. For example, in at least one implementation, the control system 110 may generate a control mapping of regions of the piezoelectric grid 103 to locations on the user interface 102 by defining where a plurality of buttons of the user interface 102 are located relative to their corresponding portions of the piezoelectric grid 103. In another example, control system 110 may generate a control mapping of areas of piezoelectric grid 103 to locations on user interface 102 by mapping coordinates on piezoelectric grid 103 to locations of device actuators on user interface 102 of computing device 101. Other techniques for generating control mappings are possible and within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0029] The control system 110 receives a test instruction including actuation information for a target portion of a user interface 102 of the computing device 101 (202). The control system 110 may receive the test instruction in any manner, such as delivered via a communication network, preprogrammed into the control system 110, uploaded from a flash drive or other removable medium, entered by a test operator through a user interface of the control system 110, or any other technique for providing the test instruction to the control system 110. The actuation information in the test instruction generally indicates a target portion of the user interface 102 that should be actuated by the control system 110, such as a specific button, switch, joystick, pressure sensitive area, or any other element of the user interface 102. For example, in at least one implementation, the control system 110 may receive the test instruction including actuation information for a target portion of the user interface 102 by receiving a test instruction including actuation information for one or more device actuators of the user interface 102. These device actuators may include, for example, one or more buttons or pressure sensitive areas of the user interface 102. Furthermore, in at least one implementation, the user interface 102 may include a touch screen, and the piezoelectric grid 103 may be provided with a material capable of actuating the touch screen. In this case, the actuation information of the target portion of the user interface 102 may include a touch screen gesture. In some implementations, the touch screen may be pressure sensitive, and the gesture may include a pressure-induced actuation. In at least one implementation, the touch screen gesture may also include a multi-touch gesture. Any other actuation information indicating the target portion of the user interface 102 for actuation may be included in the test instruction.

[0030] The control system 110 processes the test instructions and the control map to determine the control signal for the piezoelectric grid 103 to implement the test instructions (203). In general, to process the test instructions and the control map to determine the control signal, the control system 110 references the control map to identify an area of ​​the piezoelectric grid 103 positioned above the target portion of the user interface 102 indicated in the test instructions. For example, in at least one implementation, the control system 110 may process the test instructions and the control map to determine the control signal for the piezoelectric grid 103 by determining the coordinates on the piezoelectric grid 103 corresponding to the target portion of the user interface 102 to which the control signal is to be applied. In some examples, the coordinates determined by the control system 110 may include both the horizontal position coordinates and the vertical position coordinates of the piezoelectric grid 103. In addition, the control system 110 may process the test instructions and the control map to determine the control signal for the piezoelectric grid 103 by determining the amount of charge provided by the control signal required to cause the piezoelectric material of the piezoelectric grid 103 to physically actuate the target portion of the user interface 102. For example, the design of the piezoelectric grid 103 and the piezoelectric material used by the grid 103 can depend on the distance required to actuate a particular user-selectable element of the user interface 102, the amount of pressure required to actuate the element, or some other factor that will affect actuation of a target portion of the user interface 102, and in some implementations these variables can be taken into account by the control system 110 when generating control signals for the piezoelectric grid 103.

[0031] The control system 110 sends a control signal to the piezoelectric grid 103 to actuate a target portion of the user interface 102 of the computing device 101 (204). As discussed above, the control signal is typically tailored by the control system 110 to activate appropriate regions of the piezoelectric grid 103 for actuating the corresponding target portion of the user interface 102 indicated in the test instruction. For example, in at least one implementation, the control signal provides an electrical charge to a region of the piezoelectric grid 103 that is mapped to the target portion of the user interface 102. The region of the piezoelectric grid 103 that is mapped to the target portion of the user interface 102 will then typically deform and protrude in response to the electrical charge provided by the control signal, causing the region of the piezoelectric grid 103 to physically contact and actuate the target portion of the user interface 102. For example, in some implementations, the control signal may provide an electrical charge to a region of the piezoelectric grid 103 that is mapped to the target portion of the user interface 102 by providing an electric field of sufficient strength to effectuate actuation of the target portion of the user interface 102.

[0032] Advantageously, the control system 110 receives the test instructions and generates and sends control signals for the piezoelectric grid 103 to implement the test instructions. The piezoelectric grid 103 is thus activated by the control signal to actuate the target portion of the user interface 102 as directed by the test instructions. The control system 110 is thus able to remotely actuate various user-selectable functions of the user interface 102 of the computing device 101 to implement automated testing of the user interface 102 without the need for a human operator or an expensive robotic system. Therefore, by enabling remote automated testing of user interface functions via piezoelectric actuation, the technology described herein provides the technical advantage of eliminating the need for any gears, pulleys, electromagnets, and other traditional electromechanical components, thereby also reducing the power consumption typically required to operate such mechanical components and robots employed in alternative solutions. The disclosed technology also helps to eliminate the costs and inaccuracies associated with human test operators. In this way, the control system 110 provides an efficient and reliable testing environment by utilizing the piezoelectric grid 103 to actuate various portions of the user interface 102 of the computing device 101.

[0033] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a user interface 302 of a computing device 301 having a piezoelectric grid 303 mounted thereon in an exemplary embodiment. Note that Figure 3 The examples described in the examples may be implemented using computing device 101 and other elements of communication environment 100, and in some implementations may also be implemented with Figure 2 200. In this example, the user interface 302 includes a physical numeric keypad that would typically be found on a telephone device. The piezoelectric grid 303 includes a mesh of piezoelectric material placed over the user interface 302. The vertical and horizontal lines forming the piezoelectric grid 303 can be energized at target points so that the grid 303 is deformed using opposing piezoelectric effects to cause actuation of a specific button or buttons on the keypad of the user interface 302. For example, each of the numeric buttons labeled 1 through 9 on the keypad can be mapped to their corresponding horizontal and vertical coordinates on the piezoelectric grid 303, and the control system can apply appropriate charges to the coordinates mapped to a specific key or series of keys that are expected to be pressed for testing purposes. Now, let's look at Figure 4 A detailed example of one way in which a piezoelectric grid can be activated by a control system to actuate a button on a user interface is discussed.

[0034] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an operational scenario of activating a piezoelectric grid to press a button of a user interface of a computing device in an exemplary embodiment. Note that Figure 4 The examples described in the examples may be implemented using computing device 101 and other elements of communication environment 100, and in some implementations may also be implemented with Figure 2200 combinations of operations. Figure 4 The upper portion of represents the idle state 400 of the piezo wire 412 and the button 413 , whereas the lower portion represents the actuated state 401 .

[0035] In this example, the actuation device includes a reinforced back plate 410 that supports wires 411 attached to piezo wires 412. Piezo wires 412 extend adjacent to buttons 413 on a numeric keypad. Figure 4 In the idle state 400 shown, the piezoelectric wire 412 is de-energized and the button 413 is not selected.

[0036] To activate the piezoelectric wire 412, an appropriate charge is applied to the attached wire 411 by the control system. In response to the charge, the piezoelectric wire 412 deforms its shape so that it physically contacts and presses the button 413, as shown in the actuation state 401. As discussed above, the piezoelectric wire 412 is usually part of the user interface of the adjacent computing device of the grid to be installed. The design of the grid and the piezoelectric material used to construct the grid can depend on the distance required for the button 413 to be actuated, the amount of pressure required to actuate the button 413, or some other factors that will affect the actuation of the button 413 by the piezoelectric wire 412. Although the above example describes a typical dial, the grid can be made to cover a device with any number or type of actuation elements. The control system for the grid will only need to be configured with where the elements on the user interface (such as the button 413) are located relative to the grid itself. Beneficially, the control system can then execute a test program to actuate the device as guided by the test program.

[0037] Reference back Figure 1 , computing device 101 includes a computer processor system and a communication interface. Computing device 101 may also include other components, such as microphones, cameras, displays, routers, servers, data storage systems, and power supplies. Computing device 101 may reside in a single device or may be distributed across multiple devices. Computing device 101 may be a discrete system or may be integrated in other systems (including other systems in communication environment 100). In some examples, computing device 101 may include a telephone, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet, a conference room system, an e-book, a mobile Internet device, a network interface card, a media player, a game console, or some other communication device, including a combination thereof.

[0038] The control system 110 includes a computer processor system and a communication interface. The control system 110 may also include other components, such as routers, servers, data storage systems, and power supplies. The control system 110 may reside in a single device or may be distributed across multiple devices. The control system 110 may be a discrete system or may be integrated into other systems (including other systems within the communication environment 100). For example, although shown separately, the control system 110 may be incorporated into the computing device 101. The control system 110 may include a computing system, an application server, a call routing system, a personal computer workstation, a network gateway system, a firewall, or some other communication system, including combinations thereof.

[0039] The communication link 111 uses metal, glass, air, space, or some other material as a transmission medium. The communication link 111 can use various communication protocols, such as time division multiplexing (TDM), Internet Protocol (IP), Ethernet, optical networking, communication signaling, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), IEEE 802.11 Protocol (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, Internet, telephony, or some other communication format - including combinations thereof. The communication link 111 can be a direct link or can include an intermediate network, system, or device.

[0040] Figure 5 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computing architecture for a control system 500. The control system 500 provides an example of the control system 110, but the system 110 may have an alternative configuration. The control system 500 includes a communication interface 501, a user interface 502, and a processing system 503. The processing system 503 is linked to the communication interface 501 and the user interface 502. The processing system 503 includes a processing circuit 505 and a memory device 506 storing operating software 507. The operating software 507 includes software modules 508-511.

[0041] Control system 500 may represent any computing device, system(s), or system(s) on which testing process 200 or variations thereof may be suitably implemented. Examples of control system 500 include mobile computing devices, such as cellular phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, notebook computers, and gaming devices, as well as any other type of mobile computing device and any combination or variation thereof. Note that the features and functionality of control system 500 may also be applied to desktop computers, server computers, and virtual machines, as well as any other type of computing system, variation or combination thereof.

[0042] Communication interface 501 includes components that communicate through communication links, such as network cards, ports, radio frequency (RF) transceivers, processing circuits and software or some other communication components. Communication interface 501 can be configured to communicate through metal, wireless or optical links. Communication interface 501 can be configured to use TDM, IP, Ethernet, optical networking, wireless protocols, communication signaling or some other communication format, including their combination.

[0043] In some examples, communication transceiver 501 may be configured to receive a test instruction including actuation information of a target portion of a user interface of a computing device and send a control signal to the piezoelectric grid to actuate the target portion of the user interface of the computing device.

[0044] The user interface 502 includes components for interacting with a user. The user interface 502 may include a keyboard, a display screen, a mouse, a touch pad, or some other user input / output device. In some examples, the user interface 502 may be omitted.

[0045] Processing circuit 505 includes other circuits and microprocessors that retrieve and execute operating software 507 from memory device 506. Processing circuit 505 may include a single device or may be distributed across multiple devices (including devices in different geographic regions). Processing circuit 505 may be embedded in various types of equipment. Examples of processing circuit 505 include central processing units, dedicated processors, logic devices, and / or any type of computer processing devices, including combinations thereof. Memory device 506 includes a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that is readable by processing circuit 505 and capable of storing software 507, such as a disk drive, a flash drive, a data storage circuit, or some other hardware memory device. Memory device 506 may include a single device or may be distributed across multiple devices (including devices in different geographic regions). Memory device 506 may be embedded in various types of equipment. Operating software 507 may be implemented as program instructions and may be executed by processing system 503. Operating software 507 includes computer programs, firmware, or some other form of machine-readable processing instructions. Operating software 507 may include an operating system, a utility program, a driver, a network interface, an application, or some other type of software. In this example, operating software 507 includes software modules 508 - 511 , although software 507 may have alternative configurations in other examples.

[0046] When executed by circuit 505, operating software 507 directs processing system 503 to operate as described herein for control system 110. In particular, operating software 507 directs processing system 503 to generate a control mapping of regions of the piezoelectric grid to locations on a user interface of a computing device. Operating software 507 may also direct processing system 503 to direct communication interface 501 to receive a test instruction including actuation information of a target portion of the user interface of the computing device. Operating software 507 directs processing system 503 to process the test instruction and the control mapping to determine a control signal for the piezoelectric grid to implement the test instruction. Operating software 507 may also direct processing system 503 to direct communication interface 501 to send a control signal to the piezoelectric grid to actuate the target portion of the user interface of the computing device.

[0047] In this example, the operating software 507 includes a control mapping software module 508 that generates a control mapping of regions of the piezoelectric grid to locations on a user interface of the computing device. The operating software 507 also includes a test instruction software module 509 that receives a test instruction including actuation information of a target portion of the user interface of the computing device. The operating software 507 further includes a control signal software module 510 that processes the test instruction and the control mapping to determine a control signal for the piezoelectric grid to implement the test instruction. Finally, the operating software 507 includes a signal sending software module 511 that sends a control signal to the piezoelectric grid to actuate the target portion of the user interface of the computing device.

[0048] The above description and the associated drawings teach the best mode of the present invention. The following claims specify the scope of the present invention. Note that some aspects of the best mode may not fall within the scope of the present invention specified by the claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features described above may be combined in various ways to form multiple variations of the present invention. As a result, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but is limited only by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method of remotely actuating a user interface of a computing device, the method comprising: receiving actuation information for a target portion of the user interface; determining a control signal for a piezoelectric mesh of a web comprising piezoelectric wires, wherein the control signal directs application of electricity to the piezoelectric mesh to deform the piezoelectric mesh to actuate a target portion of the user interface; as well as The control signal is transmitted to the piezoelectric grid.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The control signal provides an electrical charge to areas of the piezoelectric grid that are mapped to a target portion of the user interface.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The control signal provides an electrical charge to areas of the piezoelectric grid mapped to a target portion of the user interface by providing an electric field of sufficient strength to effectuate actuation of the target portion of the user interface.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A control mapping of one or more regions of the piezoelectric grid to corresponding one or more portions of the user interface including the target portion is generated.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: Determining the control signal includes: A determination is made as to which region of the one or more regions of the piezoelectric grid corresponds to a target portion of the user interface.

6. An apparatus for remote actuation of a user interface of a computing device, the apparatus comprising: a piezoelectric grid comprising a web of piezoelectric wires that deform when electricity is applied; wherein the piezoelectric mesh receives a control signal for actuating a target portion of the user interface when the mesh is mounted to a surface of the user interface.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein: The control signal comprises an electrical charge to an area of ​​the mesh mapped to a target portion of the user interface.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: The control signal provides an electrical charge to areas of the piezoelectric grid mapped to a target portion of the user interface by providing an electric field of sufficient strength to effectuate actuation of the target portion of the user interface.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein: The target portion of the user interface includes a button.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein: The target portion of the user interface includes the location of the touch screen.

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