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Membrane That Turns Any Surface Into a Touchscreen

Posted by timothy on from the wasn't-picking-my-nose dept.

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.'"

5 of 111 comments (clear)

  1. MC Hammer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh no, they proved MC Hammer wrong!

  2. Usefulness of touchscreens is overrated. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The usefulness of touchscreens is truly overrated.

    I used to work at a pizza chain where we had to ring in orders using a touchscreen. They were the biggest pieces of shit ever. It'd take five or six taps to perform any action.

    Just last week I was at the airport, and ran into the same problem using a much more modern ticket printer station that used a touchscreen.

    I can't help but be very skeptical about this technology, given how poorly existing touchscreens work. And those existing touchscreens are just basic rectangles, in very predictable and controlled environments.

    1. Re:Usefulness of touchscreens is overrated. by Pojut · · Score: 5, Informative

      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
  3. Re:4 x 4? by Canazza · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.
  4. Re:Touchscreen now means any tactile interface? by FlyingBishop · · Score: 5, Informative

    If light passes through it it is by definition a screen.

    screen != display