Touch Screen | Finger Stress

Many personal touch screen devices like smart phones, PDAs, and touch screen laptops can get away with using a stylus. But for most common use touch screen devices that are meant for the public, the stylus is not a feasible strategy because it can get lost or stolen whether intentionally by vandals or accidentally.

The stylus solves the problems encountered when the finger is the primary tool for interacting with a touch screen system. The most obvious problem is the stress it places on the finger itself. Our arms, hands, and fingers were not designed to be held at out at shoulder height for extended periods of time and easily tires when operating a touch screen for more than a few minutes.

Another problem with using the finger is that it is broad and cannot offer quite the same precision as a stylus. That is why when particularly detailed motor control is required, such as operating a PDA or touch screen laptop, a stylus is almost always offered.

Touch Screen Retail Uses

There are more applications to touch screen technology than most people would recognize. This is because it is such a normal part of our daily lives we seldom notice the role it plays in how we do what it is that we do on a day to day basis. Beyond the mp3 players, smart phones and touch screen laptops there are many commercial devices that use a touch screen interface.

In the retail business, almost all registers are now operated through the touch of a finger. The entire checkout systems of many retailers are programmed to show up on the screen and respond to the clerk’s interaction directly with the menu on the screen. This is the same as in the restaurant business where menus can dynamically change, or bars where pricing for orders depend on the particular night. The touch screen registers are updated automatically as the menus and pricing are changed. The server can quickly and efficiently ring up orders with greater accuracy with the use of these touch screen systems.

Optical Imaging Touch Screen Technology

Optical imaging is a relatively new touch screen technology that is very quickly expanding its fan base because of the scalability and versatility it offers. It is especially feasible for large units or devices. It works by two cameras sharing a field of view. From two different viewpoints, an image silhouette can be created. In this case, a shadow casted by the object creates the image.

This touch screen technology is unlike others in that it can even recognize the size of the object touching the screen. This is because it uses an infrared backlight and image sensors along the screen sides. When an image touches the screen it casts a shadow and two image sensors can triangulate the position of the object that touches the screen as well as the size of the object based on the shadow the object casts.

Touch Screen Customer Self-Service Applications

The greatest benefit to touch screen technology is its implementation for public use where a good portion of the population may not be familiar with a computer. The touch screen is intuitively designed so that anyone is able to navigate the system and get the information or service they seek without assistance.

The most common self-service application of touch screen systems are ATM machines, ticket terminals, and self-checkout terminals at some markets. These terminals help speed up customer service by providing the service, such as selling or printing tickets, in a methodical manner where the user can operate the device without a person present. This helps to service customers during hours of the day where it is not feasible to have an employee present, as well as help shorten lines that have actual people for more specific or uncommon issues that cannot be resolved at a automated touch screen station.

How Touch Screens Have Changed Video Games

When video and computer games first slowly began to emerge – in the late 1970s and early 1980s – they consisted of nothing more than white sticks and a ball against a black background in a simple, electronic version of ping pong. As technology moved forward, so too did video games and the modern era features games designed for highly advanced home gaming systems or your touch screen laptop and maybe even your cell phone or IPod. However, as far from that past as the industry may seem to have come and as advanced as our modern day video games may feel, the truth is that twenty years into the future the touch screen laptop and today’s video games feel just as antiquated as the Atari or Coleco systems of yore are to us now. With all things being relative, one can only imagine what innovations could possibly make today’s gaming environment seem primitive.