Turn Any Surface Into A Touchscreen

It may become possible to transform a variety of surfaces into a touch sensitive screen. Displax has created a incredibly thin, interactive film that can be applied onto surfaces both curved and flat.

Wired reports:

Displax’ latest technology works on both opaque and transparent surfaces. The films have a 98 percent transparency–a measure of the amount of light that is reflected through the surface. “That’s a pretty decent transmission rate,” says Widgor.

A grid of nanowires are embedded in the thin polymer film that is just about 100 microns thick. A microcontroller processes the multiple input signals it receivers from the grid. A finger or two placed on the screen causes an electrical disturbance. This is analyzed by the microcontroller to decode the location of each input on that grid. The film comes with its own firmware, driver–which connect via a USB connection–and a control panel for user calibration and settings.

Currently, it can detect up to 16 fingers on a 50-inch screen. And the projective capacitance technology that Displax uses is similar to that seen on the iPhone, so the responsiveness of the touch surface is great, says Fonseca.

And if feeling around the screen isn’t enough, Displax allows users to interact with the screen by blowing on it.

Thin Film Turns Any Surface Into a Touchscreen