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Membrane That Turns Any Surface Into a Touchscreen
alx5000 writes "Engadget has a story about Displax Interactive Systems, a Portuguese company that has created a new polymer film that, when stuck onto a surface, converts it into a multitouch touchscreen with up to 16 contact points. The article states that 'if all goes well, the first Displax-enabled wares will start shipping this July.'"
16 contact points as in 16 fingers at once, not 16 'buttons'
It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for being subtle.
It's not that they don't work, it's that they aren't maintained.
Take a look at one of the many all-in-one PCs out there with touchscreens. Hell, just look at an iPhone. They work pretty well. Now look at the touchscreen at the airport. This is a device that is touched by hundreds if not thousands of different people a day. That much constant use is going to require a lot of maintenance.
Don't blame the touchscreen, blame the fact that they aren't maintained given their high rate of use.
Living With a Nerd
If light passes through it it is by definition a screen.
screen != display
most of the touch screens used in point of sale (i.e. cash register) applications are old resistive touch films. This tech suffers from the drawback that in order for the resistance of the film to change you have to physically deform it to register a touch. This opens you up to all kinds of mechanical fatigue problems like the one you're talking about. Capacative touch systems (like the iphone) which work by sensing the proximity of your finger electrically don't have this problem. The material in the article sounds like an evolution of resistive touch, so it would probably still wear out after a lot of use.