Where Will We See These Advancements?
This technology is certainly coming, so it’s only a matter of time before touch screens make their way into more everyday products and activities. With the increased functionality of these new advances, touch screens can improve the usability of many common products.
The restaurant table mentioned before is just one of the many ways touch screens are already being utilized to save time and money. In the last few decades, the classic chalkboard has also been replaced by projectors in most schools and offices. Next up are smart whiteboards that pull up slides and other saved projects at the swipe of a finger.
Bank ATMs are a good example of touch screens in the public realm. Expect to be seeing many more touch screens around places like the grocery store or mall. Kiosks and information centers that will soon help shopping center customers get to where they are going quicker than the usual billboard that requires a long map scan. In Japan, touch screen vending machines are already in use. These can even come with cameras that recognize gender and age in order to recommend a beverage. It also stores your image and purchase history for your next visit.
Home appliances like your refrigerator, washer or coffee maker may soon include more options and less wasted space thanks to touch screens. Same can be said for automobiles as a touch screen interface replaces the many buttons or knobs required for the stereo, air conditioning, heater and more. These screens could even be personalized to give users the choice of which functions appear and where they are located on the screen.
Our mobile devices may have been among the first to utilize the functionality of a touch screen, but they certainly won’t be the last. Technology is advancing every day, and with it, so is the power of your fingers.
Bruce Gaunt and Stefan Freeman are mechanical engineers in the Minnesota office of Product Development Technologies, Inc. (PDT), a global, full-service product development firm. To learn more about PDT, visit www.pdt.com
This was some good information; sounds similar to what this touch screen stuff does? http://www.ssidisplays.com/products/touch-screens/thru-glass