Gadgetory

when touchscreen technology first hit the mass-market the general opinion was that it was a fad that would pass much like any other with many people clinging tightly to the analogue buttons on their phones and claiming that things like texting could never be the same without them but fast-forward to today and it's practically impossible to find any of those previous skeptics who don't currently have their faces buried in a new touchscreen device tapping and swiping away but how did it all get started well the first touchscreens were developed all the way back in the 1960s using a capacitive design which works by coding blasts with an electrically conductive surface now as we all remember from the first matrix film human beings are basically just batteries waiting around to be harvested by the machine so whenever one of our conductive little digits comes in contact with this type of screen the processor can sense the difference in charge as an input and although this technology was developed decades ago the same basic idea is used in even the highest end smartphones today cool right but just like anything else these wonderful devices don't function well under certain adverse conditions condensation from cold damp weather can get to your screen and get it wet causing it to register random presses and surface materials such as dirt or even the oil from your fingers can also impede a capacitive touchscreens functionality I mean not to mention that they can't normally be used with a gloved hand so in cases where speed and sensitivity are not as important as reliability and functionality resistive screens can be a better option you'll often see these on kiosks cash registers ATMs and other places where durability really counts so these operate by having two thin sheets set apart by a small gap one of which has a current applied to it while the other is connected to voltage sensors whenever the screen is touched it causes the current and sensor layers to make contact registering an input because the outer surface of the screen doesn't contain any sensitive electronics resistive touchscreen and up very well to environmental hazards and careless users and can be used with styluses gloves and really any blunt objects though you won't see them very often in phones or tablets due to their bulk and lack of precision now as great as current touchscreen technology is I mean are we ever going to see it do more than just allow us to pick stuff on a display what if touchscreens could touch you back well researchers are now trying to answer that very question with a number of different approaches for instance the prototype whew so to display from Japan is made of optical fibers making it feel furry and aside from making your dog jealous because you couldn't stop petting your new phone it could have applications in interior design marketing I mean imagine a football field made of these fibers that could change the appearance or or detect exactly where the receivers feet were when he fell out of bounds cool stuff right but it's not for everyone and if you don't want your screen to feel like a puppy there are a number of cool things in the works that can provide all sorts of tactile feedback a project called ultra haptics out of England is launching a system that enables both touch inputs and feedback in midair using ultrasonic pulses and Disney research is working on a similar system that uses precisely directed blown air for virtual reality experiences gaming and warned speaking of Disney research they're also developing the Tesla touch system which uses minut changes in voltage on the touchscreen itself to actually make the screen mimic different gestures I mean imagine a picture of sandpaper feeling rough when you run your finger across it or a large file feeling heavier than a small one when you drag it to a different folder I mean who knows maybe one day you'll be able to feel tech quickie videos though I'm not sure if anyone's 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