An electronic device has a housing, at least one actuator attached to the housing, and a deformable skin having air pores. The actuators are attached to both the housing and the deformable skin to impart a motion that causes a varying amount of separation. A thermal exchange cavity is defined by the housing and the deformable skin. A skin oscillation controller is contained with the housing and is electrically connected to the at least one actuators that vary a volume of the thermal exchange cavity by deforming the deformable skin, causing an exchange of ambient air through the air pores to convectively cool the housing.