User Interface System

A user interface system comprising:

• a sheet that defines a surface and at least partially defines a first level fluid vessel arranged at a first level within the sheet and a second level fluid vessel arranged at a second level within the sheet substantially different from the first level, wherein both the first and second level fluid vessels are arranged underneath the surface;
• a first volume of fluid contained within the first level fluid vessel;
• a second volume of fluid contained within the second level fluid vessel;
• and
• a displacement device coupled to the first and second level fluid vessels that selectively manipulates the first and second volumes of fluid, thereby deforming a first and second particular region of the surface, respectively.

A method of providing a user interface, comprising the steps of:

• providing a sheet defining a surface with a deformable region and a first level fluid vessel that contains a first volume of fluid arranged at a first level within the sheet and a second level fluid vessel that contains a second volume of fluid arranged at a second level within the sheet substantially different from the first level;
• and
• selectively deforming the surface to a first and second stage, wherein selectively deforming the surface to a first and second stage includes:
• manipulating the first volume of fluid to deform at least a portion of the first fluid vessel to deform the surface to the first stage;
• manipulating the second volume of fluid to deform at least a portion of the second fluid vessel to deform the surface to the second stage.