Slashdot Mirror
Thin Film Transforms Any Surface Into Touchscreen
kkleiner writes "Open up a cardboard tube, roll out a transparent film just millimeters thick, apply it on a flat object and *tada* you've got an interactive touch surface. Cambridge-based Visual Planet just launched its new massive-sized multitouch thin film drivers so you can create touchscreens from 30 to 167 inches in size! Their touchfoil is a transparent nanowire embedded polymer capable of sensing the touch of a finger, or even pressure from wind and translating that to a computer interface. It works on glass, wood, and other non-conductive surfaces."
don't you think that's rather thick?
Oh, no! Gone with the wind!
Fandroids hate facts.
FYI, the interesting topography is supposed to be on the other side.
Also, you can't give a good massage with just light touching with your fingertips.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
You cannot transform anything into a touchscreen, if it's not a screen!
You insensitive clod!!!
Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
Call me back when you can roll it out on a non-flat girl's back, play a video game for a half hour or an hour, and have her believe you just gave her a massage...
If it'll fit a 167 inch widescreen I'm sure it'll fit your girlfriend too... :)
- Sorry, but you had that one coming
Um, last I checked a millimeter is pretty small. I can roll up all sorts of things to a reasonably thin degree which are much thicker than that(including one of those schnazzy silicone gel keyboard things).
It's a transparent flexible touch surface...and you're complaining because it's as thick as card stock?
If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits
It's the first step towards being able to provide them as cheap prices.
Spelling and Grammar errors have been added to this post for your enjoyment
Depends on the game, and the girl.
which is totally what she said
They were great out on the shop floor. Some of the mechanics were in the habit of using (pointy, sharp) tools to tap touch screens. So anything that could be peeled off and replaced without having to scrap an entire CRT was great. Yeah, CRT. Get over it, kid. And get off my lawn!
Have gnu, will travel.
This looks like a great component for lots of hobby projects if it is cheap enough for the purpose. If I could get a single touch that I could make an Arduino interface for at less than $30 I can think of a dozen one-of projects right now. Great science / maker faire signs, wall art, board games, etc.. At $300 they won't sell many. Anyone know the price?
This appears to simply be an input device that is rolled out over an existing screen. Kind of neat, but not exactly worldchanging, and quite far from "transforming ANY surface into a touchscreen device". It might be able to record inputs, but the user would get no feedback without a screen or something like that.
If this was a DISPLAY that thin, then this would be groundbreaking.