In today’s world, touch screens have become an integral part of our daily routines, influencing how we engage with most if not all of our activities. Whether we’re making a phone call by interacting with our smartphone’s touch interface or reading an eBook while using its touch features to turn pages, touch screens exist everywhere.
Touch technology is how we interact with electronic devices like iPads by physically touching the screen. It lets us control and use digital interfaces using our fingers or additional tools like a stylus pen. Think of it as engaging with surfaces, like touchscreens, that can sense and react to various touch movements. This engagement allows us to input commands, make selections, and operate the device you are interacting with. Unlike using a mouse or touchpad, which controls a pointer on the screen, touch technology allows us to interact directly with what we see (Rouse, 2017). It’s like tapping or swiping on your phone screen – a simple and intuitive way to make things happen on your device.
The History of Touch
Touchscreens made their debut in the 1960s, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that touch technology started grabbing attention, thanks to the accidental invention of the resistive touch screen.
Let’s start our journey in the 1960s when the first touchscreen showed up. E.A. Johnson invented a finger-driven touchscreen, like the ones on our smartphones today (Wikipedia contributors, 2023). This technology, called capacitive touch, was later used by air traffic controllers in the UK based on Johnson’s ideas and stayed useful until the late 1990s (Ion, 2013). These early innovations laid the foundation for the touchscreens we use in modern devices.
A capacitive touch screen works by measuring electrical charges where you touch it, using circuits at the corners. It does so, to provide clear and durable displays (Zola, 2022). So, while it gives us a sleek and durable touch experience, it’s a bit picky about how it gets touched!
Capacitive touch, although praiseworthy, was overshadowed by the resistive touchscreens in the early days of touch technology. Dr. G. Samuel Hurst made the invention of these touch screens almost by accident. While studying atomic physics, Hurst invented what we now know as the resistive touchscreen technology (Ion, 2013).
Monitors with resistive touchscreens are like a sandwich with two layers, a flexible top layer and a firm bottom layer, kept apart by insulating dots. When you press on the top layer, it makes an electric connection with the bottom layer, letting you interact with the screen (Bhalla et al., 2010).
Capacitive Touchscreens are mostly used in mobile and consumer gadgets, like iPhones. On the other hand, resistive touchscreens are budget-friendly and are best at protecting against things like dirt and water (Staff, 2023). Think of them in heavy-duty machines, like interactive systems on stone-cutting machines.
These inventions paved the way for various touch-capable machines, but one standout was the PLATO IV, the first widespread computer-assisted instruction system. It was the first touchscreen computer to be introduced to students in classrooms that enabled them to answer questions by touching the screen (Kaiser, 2023).
Image from ResearchGate
Timeline of Touch History
Implications of Touch
Touchscreens play a vital role in how we connect with one another, making our interactions more convenient. For instance, they have significantly reduced the margin of error when sending text messages, making communication smoother. Using an iPhone with a smart keyboard provides greater control and accessibility compared to a Nokia, where customization is limited.
Touchscreens are changing the way we read and interact with our surroundings. They are durable and effective in public access and in high-volume usage (Bhalla et al., 2010). Think about those self-service screens at McDonald’s – they save customers time and handle lots of people without compromising efficiency.
Touchscreens have always had this cool connection with the future. Anything futuristic usually comes with touchscreens, like the latest high-tech phones. To really make the most of it, you’ve got to interact with its touchscreen. In futuristic movies, characters often use super advanced touchscreens, like holographic touch technology. It’s like these touchscreens are a symbol, showing how far we’ve come into the future.
Millennials and people from older generations love talking about how tech has changed the game. They remember the days of traveling far to mail a letter, and now, they’re amazed at the convenience and efficiency of modern technologies, thanks to the contribution of touchscreens. It’s like going from long journeys to the post office to conveying your message in an instant.
References
Bhalla, M. R., & Bhalla, A. V. (2010). Comparative study of various touchscreen technologies. International Journal of Computer Applications, 6(8), 12-18. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=f44e8da5ef07d593cb940c19df30a4028428c47d
Ion, F. (2013). From touch displays to the Surface: A brief history of touchscreen technology.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/04/from-touch-displays-to-the-surface-a-brief-history-of-touchscreen-technology/
Kaiser, C. (2023). PLATO: How an educational computer system from the ’60s shaped the future. Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/03/plato-how-an-educational-computer-system-from-the-60s-shaped-the-future/
Rouse, M. (2017). Touch Screen. Techopedia. https://www.techopedia.com/definition/3055/touch-screen
Staff, Maker. io. (2023). The Difference Between Capacitive & Resistive Touch Screens? https://www.digikey.com/en/maker/blogs/2023/whats-the-difference-between-capacitive-and-resistive-touch-screens#:~:text=Capacitive%20touch%20displays%20are%20ideal,durability%20against%20dirt%20and%20water
Wikipedia contributors. (2023). Touchscreen. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreen
Zola, A. (2022). capacitive touchscreen. WhatIs.com; TechTarget. https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/capacitive-touch-screen