UYEH BLESSING SUNDAY ACCOUNTING 300LEVEL 12/SMS02/091 EMS303 ASSIGHNMENT

ASSIGNMENT The Recent Advancement and Applications in Touch Screen Technology

DEFINITION OF A TOUCHSCREEN A display screen that is sensitive to the touch of a finger or stylus. Used in myriad applications, including ATM machines, retail point-of-sale terminals, car navigation and industrial controls, the touch screen became wildly popular for smartphones and tablets after Apple introduced the iPhone and iPad. The primary touch screen advantage is the infinite ways the user interface can be designed compared to a set of fixed physical buttons. Even keyboards are simulated, and the devices can be programmed to accept hand printing, handwriting, graphics and finger gestures (see multitouch). Touch screens can also be made resistant to harsh environmentsmultitouch

The Recent Advancement in Touch Screen Technology

Ever since the release of the iphone by Apple in 2007, touch screens have experienced a resurgence sparking innovation and advances in technology. Since then, the technology hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. Touch screens are fast becoming the wave of the future, and the momentum doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. As software engineers continue to push for the most user-friendly interfaces, your fingers are quickly becoming the most powerful tools around you. Mobile phones are increasingly integrating touch screens. Tablet computers like the iPad are the new must-have technology. Remotes, cameras, e-readers and car navigation units are all moving to touch screen interfaces as well. Meanwhile, your phone buttons, keyboard, mouse and other electronics are increasingly becoming the leftovers of a past generation. But there are several advancements coming that may make touch screens even easier to use, and thus even more common in everyday devices. Here’s a look at some features to expect:

Hover Awareness Perhaps an extension of the pressure sensitive touch screen is the fact that eventually, you may not even have to make contact with a touch screen to get a reaction. Mitsubishi and Cypress are among the technology experts who have unveiled ‘hover detection’ demos. These screens can not only react when the panel is touched, but can also detect when a finger is near the surface. This so called “mouse-over” function will make touch screen technology seem almost magical. It would also increase usability. Certainly there would be a time and place for this function, as you wouldn’t want it reacting to you simply because you happen to be near the screen. But much like a mouse arrow hovering over an icon, holding your finger over a link could open up a pop-up or small preview of that page. If you wanted to enter that link, then you could simply move your finger down slightly and press the screen.

Pressure Detection Some touch screens currently do offer pressure sensitive technology. However, these features are not very accurate due to the fact that they measure pressure by surface area (i.e. as you push hard, more of your finger covers the screen.) This is not a true indication of pressure, but there technologies on the horizon that may soon solve that. Using force sensing resistors and piezoelectric actuators behind a LCD touch screen, companies like Sony are testing devices that measure the amount of pressure exerted on a specific location on the screen.

History of touch screen technology Before one must know about the recent advancement and applications in touch screen technology, one must know about the history of touch screen technology. First touch screen to be a capacitive touch screen invented by E.A. Johnson at the Royal Radar Establishment, Malvern, UK, around In 1971, a "touch sensor" was developed by Doctor Sam Hurst (founder of Elographics) while he was an instructor at the University of Kentucky. This sensor called the "Elograph" was patented by The University of Kentucky Research Foundation. The "Elograph" was not transparent like modern touch screens, however, it was a significant milestone in touch screen technology. The Elograph was selected by Industrial Research as one of the 100 Most Significant New Technical Products of the Year 1973.

In 1974, the first true touch screen incorporating a transparent surface came on the scene developed by Sam Hurst and Elographics. In 1977, Elographics developed and patented a resistive touch screen technology, the most popular touch screen technology in use today. Siemens Corporation financed an effort by Elographics to produce the first curved glass touch sensor interface, which became the first device to have the name "touch screen" attached to it. In 1983, the computer manufacturing company, Hewlett-Packard introduced the HP-150, a home computer with touch screen technology. The HP-150 had a built in grid of infrared beams across the front of the monitor which detected finger movements. However, the infrared sensors would collect dust and require frequent cleanings. The nineties introduced smart phones and handhelds with touch screen technology. In 1993, Apple released the Newton PDA, equipped with handwriting recognition; and IBM released the first smart phone called Simon, which featured a calendar, note pad, and fax function, and a touch screen interface that allowed users to dial phone numbers. On February 24, 1994, the company officially changed its name from Elographics to Elo Touch Systems.

In 1996, Palm entered the PDA market and advanced touch screen technology with its Pilot series In 2002, Microsoft introduced the Windows XP Tablet edition and started its entry into touch technology. In 2007, Apple introduced the king of smart phones, the iPhone, with nothing but touch screen technology.iPhone

Recent applications in touch screen technology Touchscreens have been used in many different devices over the years including ATM machines, cash registers in grocery stores, diagnostic tools in automobile repair shops, and of course in computers. Here are the different types of touch screens and their applications in the touch screen technology. Resistive touchscreens – Resistive touchscreens are made from glass coated with metal sheets that provide conductivity. Current passes between the layers, and when someone touches the display and pushes the layers together the change in current allows the computer to calculate the location on the screen. In general resistive screens tend to be the most stylus-friendly type of touchscreen. Some manufacturers have made resistive screens that are more finger-friendly, but for the most part they work best with a stylus.These types of screens are cost-effective, can operate with a pointing device like a pen and are useful for handwriting recognition. Unfortunately they only provide about 75% clarity and don’t offer multi-touch functionality.

Capacitive touchscreen technology has revolutionized smartphones and tablets, and is now finding its way into laptops, desktop displays, and all-in-one PCs. Because the market for these devices is fiercely competitive, vendors are constantly challenged to design systems with high display quality, ease of navigation, high performance, compact form factors, long battery life, and low cost. Because the touchscreen plays such an influential role in the user experience, the choice of its design can be a determining factor in a product’s ultimate success.

Projected Capacitive This capacitive variation uses a sensor grid sandwiched between two glass layers and allows for two-finger gestures such as pinching an image to make it smaller. When the screen is touched, the controller computes the X-Y location from the change in capacitance in the grid. Although the grid is embedded, the screen can be overlaid with a glass layer for more protection. Acoustic Waves and Infrared Acoustic waves or infrared signals are transmitted across the screen's external surface from the top and side. Typically used for interfaces with larger buttons, such as found on kiosks, when the screen is touched, receivers at opposite ends sense the blocked signals. Since these methods do not use active layers over the screen, they do not block any light. For protection, the screens can also be overlaid with clear, heavy-duty glass

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