The smartphones and tablets many of us use are intensely personal devices. But a Tokyo University of Technology research group has developed an interesting way that multiple users could combine their devices' displays, Voltron-style, for a more communal experience.

A concept video from earlier this year depicted two iPads that, when placed adjacent, created one larger display; but that was a mockup. This here interface, called Pinch, is the real deal:

At the very least, it would be neat to transfer photos, video, data or even currency from one phone to another in this manner. And if smartphones or tablets see uptake in developing nations at the rate that cellphones are catching on now, it would be cool to eventually see classrooms full of students that could combine their devices into television- or blackboard-sized displays.

The research group is currently giving the Pinch system to various developers, presumably under license, and asking them to come up with apps for it.