We all likely own a digital device that utilises touch-screen technology and if you have ever wondered how touch screens work, you have come to the right place. The first touch screen was developed in the 1960s, when a man named EA Johnson developed a basic form of touch screen to be used at the Royal Radar Establishment.
There are two main types of touch-screen that we use today, which are;
- Capacitive Touch Screens – This is the type of touch screen commonly found on a smartphone or tablet and the screen comprises of numerous layers of glass and plastic. These layers are coated with a conductor material such as copper or indium tin oxide and when you touch a part of your screen, this creates an electrical contact and voila, a contact event is created. Over time, these screens have dramatically improved in terms of performance and with super-fast microprocessors and lots of RAM, the command instantly brings up the required info on the screen. You may have tried to use your smartphone’s screen by pressing on it with an object and have wondered why it doesn’t work; although some objects can be used, it does require something that has a slight electrical charge, as a person’s finger would have.
- Resistive Touch Screens – As the name suggests, this system uses resistance; when you press down on the screen, this allows a layer to electrically charge, using your finger to create a circuit. Resistive screens are not as bright as capacitive versions and these are usually found on ATMs and touch screen menus in retail outlets and restaurants. Many of the state-of-the-art digital devices installed by www.rhenus-hightech.co.uk use touch-screen technology and the white glove logistics sector is in fact booming, largely due to a new generation of digital devices. It should be noted that screen protectors can affect this type of touch screen, so do check first before putting a protective layer on your device screen.
While the capacitive screen is without doubt the most common, the resistive screen is far more durable and is therefore used with screens that are used by the general public and let’s not forget that screen development is ongoing, so there will be new and innovative ways to interact with digital devices. Click here for a list of digital devices that are likely to stand the test of time.
Interactive Screens
These are becoming more prominent, especially in places like museums, where large digital screens can display information in text, image and rich video and that means you can learn so much by interacting with these unique devices. White glove logistics providers install and maintain a wide range of touch-screen devices, with hospital equipment, fitness, vending and gaming machines all using touch screen tech. Click here for UK government information about digital technology.
There is talk of radical new technologies that follow the user’s line of sight, triggering commands by simply looking at the screen, yet we are many years away from reaching such a level. No doubt the touch screen will be further developed and with biometric security, devices can be protected.
