Touch Screen Technology

Touch screen technology revolutionized the way we interface with computers and machines most notably when personal computers began to incorporate the technology to create touch screen laptops. But the application of touch screens extends far and wide beyond the laptops and smart phones that we are used to. The flexibility and intuitiveness makes touch screens a popular interface for many technologies we come across and use every day. So much so that we have become accustomed to the role it plays in our lives that it is no surprise no one really notices that ATM machines and self-checkout counters at select supermarkets are all using touch screen technology. In recent history, touch screen technology has developed rapidly with the rise in technological advances in general and in turn touch screens is fast becoming the most popular interface for personal and commercial computing.

It may be hard to believe but there was a time when touch screen technology did not exist. This means no touch screen laptops, no PDAs or smart phones or most of the technological gadgetry we take for granted today. And that was only a few decades ago. Many among us still have fond memories of the decade the touch screen was introduced. It was the same year the Watergate Scandal blew open, the year of the oil embargo crisis, and the year Stephen King published Carrie, his first novel, under his own name. It was 1974 when a man by the name of Sam Hurst introduced to the world a true touch screen with a transparent surface. About three years later he introduced the first five-wire resistive technology that is commonly used in touch screens today.

Since that time new touch screen technologies have been developed to improve on the five-wire resistive system. However, the concept of intuitive user interfacing with computers has remained the same. Each technology offers its own advantages and disadvantages although some of the newer developments are beginning to show promise to overtake some older systems once the cost factor is under control.

Resistive Touch Screens

The resistive system today uses two electrically charged sheets of thin metal covered by a protective sheet. The two charged sheets are separated just enough to keep the charges from touching each other. When there is pressure on the surface from a stylus or finger, the two sheets are forced to touch and the change in charge can be calculated to determine the coordinates of the point of contact. The advantage of the resistive touch screen technology is its durability and ability to work in a myriad of environments. But because of the layers of metal sheeting, brightness of the screen is reduced to 75% visibility making it less ideal where brightness of the screen matters.

Capacitive Touch Screens

Commonly used in ATMs and information kiosks, the capacitive touch screen system is designed to be touched with a human finger. It works by charging a metal sheet at the very surface of the glass panel. Some of the charge escapes when something conductive, like your finger, touches the screen and the loss in charge is measured then calculated by a computer to determine where the contact was made. This system is popular for its durability and better brightness transparency over the resistive system at approximately 88% of the underlying screens brightness. It is a common technology use in touch screen cash registers at bars and restaurants as well as in mobile touch screen devices like smart phones and portable gaming devices.

Surface Acoustic Wave Touch Screen

The most advanced system commonly in use today is the surface acoustic wave touch screen technology. This technology uses transducers and reflectors along the sides to send acoustic waves across the screen. When an object comes in contact with the screen, some of the waves are interrupted and the computer calculates where the break in transmission was to determine what response that part of the monitor represents. One of the biggest advantages to this system is the high levels of light transmission of about 90% brightness. The major downside of this technology is that it is less tightly sealed than other systems meaning it is more prone to damage by water and dust.

New systems that are being introduced to commercial application are touch screen technologies that include the use of infrared, strain gauge, optical imaging, dispersive signal technology and acoustic pulse recognition. High cost of development has put a hamper on availability of infrared technology for the purpose of touch screen and while it offers the ability to recognize the force of the user’s touch, strain gauge technology has only recently become economically viable for use in touch screens despite having been around since the 1960s. The moment you read this, and then reread this, there will have been new developments in touch screen technology.

Commercially, touch screen computers service a wide range of purposes. Most common public information booths such as information kiosks, customer self-service and various displays offer a way for almost anybody to access information with little or no experience using a computer. This is due to the fact that a touch screen interface allows the user to interact not with keyboard and mouse like a typical computer, but with tools they are most comfortable using-their fingers.

But the most influential to the business and working world is the touch screen laptop. This allows the user to manipulate details of the computer with the touch of a finger or stylus. Professionally, this is a great presentation tool that allows the presenter to draw directly on the screen during the presentation to help illustrate a point. From a student’s perspective, a touch screen laptop allows for note taking by hand when typing is not the fastest way, such as when drawing diagrams. Many people are more comfortable taking notes by hand as that is the way many of us have been trained to do. In all, touch screens have directly improved the world by the way of public information sharing. And by increasing the efficiency of students and professionals, computers such as the dell touch screen laptops are also indirectly improving the world.