The Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC Concept features a motorized hinge that lets it switch between laptop and tablet modes with just voice commands. It can even rotate its display to keep up with you as you move around the room.
Lenovo is back with another innovative laptop, and this one can twist itself. Unveiled today at IFA, the Auto Twist AI PC concept features a motorized hinge that tracks your movements, rotating the display to face you as you move around. It can also switch between different modes, like laptop and tablet, with just a voice command.
The Twist AI brings a modern, motorized spin to a design that’s been around for over 20 years. Most 2-in-1 laptops today use 360-degree hinges to fold into tablet mode, leaving the keyboard on the back. But earlier convertibles had a center hinge that let the screen rotate and fold over the keyboard. HP and Acer were making these as far back as 2002. When HP and Lenovo brought the design back briefly in 2012, we called them “traditional convertible tablets.” Lenovo did something similar in 2023, but with an OLED screen on one side and an E Ink display on the other.
The concept unit quickly responded to voice commands within a second or two, but the motors took about 10 seconds to make the full transformation. The follow-me feature, however, is quite handy, especially during video calls.
“We’re still experimenting with that. A lot of these concepts don’t come to market, but you may see elements of them down the line. It’s got face tracking; it’s basically a video conferencing system built into a laptop. There’s a lot of accessibility potential.”
Lenovo communication director Jeff Witt
If the Auto Twist AI, or something similar, hits the market, it could be really useful for people who find it challenging to manually switch between convertible laptop modes. Plus, having the ability to command your laptop to change modes on its own is just plain cool.
