How Are Touch Screens Made?
From the grocery store checkout to the smart phone in your pocket, touch screens have become a part of modern life. Many things that once seemed like science fiction are now ordinary fact, but how can glass and metal sense our touch?
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History
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According to Elo Touchsystems' online history of the touch screen, Dr. Sam Hurst invented the first touch screen to speed his data management tasks in the early 1970s. From there, the modern touch screen has evolved into three separate designs.
Capacitive Touch Screens
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In capacitive screens, an electrical field is generated on the surface of the screen. That field is disrupted by the user's touch, and electrodes on the edges of the screen measure changes in the current and can thus define the location of the disruption.
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Resistive Touch Screens
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Resistive touch screens operate by insulating two electrically charged layers with a flexible barrier. The user's touch connects the layers, and the resulting electrical flow allows the computer to locate the touch.
Acoustic Pulse Recognition
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More complex touch screens use piezoelectric transducers to "hear" sound waves caused by the user's touch. Sensors in the edges of the screen measure the amount of time it takes for the pulse to reach the edge, and can then calculate the location of the touch.
Mobile Touch Screens
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Because they are light and inexpensive, many manufacturers incorporate capacitive touch screens in their smart phones and other mobile electronics. A few companies have taken the technology to new heights, pioneering multi-touch features that allow the screen to sense two touches at the same time.
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References
- Photo Credit hand and screen monitor image by Mikhail Malyshev from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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how are they made not working.
