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NYU Researchers Create Cheap, Flexible Pressure-Based Interface
Al writes "A super-cheap, thin and flexible touch interface developed by researchers at New York University and could be used to add touch sensing to all sorts of gadgets and devices. It measures a change in electrical resistance when a person or object applies different pressure. The "Inexpensive Multi-Touch Pressure Acquisition Devices (IMPAD)" consists of two sheets of plastic containing parallel lines of electrodes. The sheets are arranged so that the electrodes cross, creating a grid and each intersection acts as a pressure sensor. The sheets are also covered with a layer of force-sensitive resistor (FSR) ink, a type of ink that has microscopic bumps on its surface. So, when something coated in the ink is pressed, the bumps move together and touch, conducting electricity."
Late fall. Rumor is Apple may introduce a 10" iPod Touch, which for most purposes is a touchscreen netbook.
Can we get a "-1 Wrong" moderation option?
Go watch the freaking video and then regret ever posting that comment.
http://www.technologyreview.com/video/?vid=290&a=f
I think the more important typo in the headline is that the words "multi-touch" are not used. That is the most impressive part of this prototype above and beyond the fact that it is cheap, flexible, and pressure based.
Okay!
Next time I want to make a sloppy kindergarden finger-paint drawing I'm so there!
X-Y sensing pads have a long and dismal history-- They work fine for the first day but the slightest bit of moisture or grunge or wear and they go downhill in a hurry.
If you had read the article (I know, I know, it's slashdot), you'd have found out two crucial differences: it's pressure sensitive, meaning it outputs data about how hard it's being touched, not just yes or no, which the cheap capacitive touchpads you're referring to don't do, and it works with any pressure source, such as a stylus or a gloved finger, which capacitive touchpads can't do. Capacitive touchpads depend on the electrical properties of the human finger. Resistive touchpads don't.
As an added bonus, it's multi-touch. So not only can you find out that someone is touching the pad with three fingers, but you can tell that they're pressing harder with the first finger than with the other two. This opens up a whole realm of user interface design possibilities that aren't currently an option.
The current prototype isn't transparent, but they claim it can be made transparent, so that hurdle can be cleared. The features this thing provides could seriously open up the design space for devices and interfaces, assuming the "inexpensive" part is carried through in their business plan. No doubt the technique is patented, so it wouldn't be hard to end up in an e-ink position, where prices are outrageous because of the legal monopoly. I'm cautiously optimistic that they'll evaluate the market and see Synaptics and Alps and understand the wisdom of cheap licensing and high volume production. Unlike the e-ink market, there is appreciable competition; the new features don't sound so indispensable that the new hardware will totally swamp their competitor's markets.