HARRISBURG, Pa. — Tyco Electronics' Elo TouchSystems exhibited a range of new touch technologies at this week's Society for Information Display International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition in San Antionio.
Elo's latest innovations include IntelliTouch surface acoustic wave and CarrollTouch infrared technologies, as well as acoustic pulse recognition, or APR, technology that allows the touch performance to be easily defined.
"Elo invented touch technology over 35 years ago, and we've never stopped innovating," said Mark Mendenhall, vice president of Tyco Electronics and general manager of Elo TouchSystems. "These new touch technologies join the extensive portfolio of Elo products developed to meet the changing needs and demands of our customers."
IntelliTouch and infrared multitouch
Elo product manager Abraham Shen says the multitouch IntelliTouch solution utilizes Elo's surface acoustic wave technology for a precise, two-finger touch experience.
"Simply stated, the pure-glass construction of the new Elo multitouch IntelliTouch technology delivers an excellent image and high light transmission just like the single-touch IntelliTouch technology customers have trusted for years." Shen said. "With stable, drift-free operation, these new IntelliTouch touchscreens will accurately recognize two-finger simultaneous touches."
In addition to the IntelliTouch solution, Elo's CarrollTouch IR technology allows users to interact with a computer's software. At the Wall Street Journal's 2008 "D6: All Things Digital" conference, Elo's IR 19-inch multitouch monitor was featured in a brief demonstration by Julie Larson-Green, corporate vice president of program management for the Windows Experience at Microsoft Corp.
"The IR multitouch product has been modeled after the Elo CarrollTouch IR component line with the tested reliability of millions of screens in active use," said Steve Haungs, product manager for Elo. "It provides a true two-coordinate report set with more to come in the future."
Both of these new technologies will be available for purchase on the 19-inch and 22-inch open-frame touchmonitors or as components later this year and for Windows 7.
APR ‘now even better'
Elo's APR capability combines the optical quality, durability and stability of surface acoustic wave and infrared with the dragging properties of surface capacitive technology, and it features the advantages of resistive technology and the ability to work with water and other contaminants on the screen. The solution can be scaled from a 3.5-inch screen size to a 42-inch display.
Elo's APR technology allows for fine-tuning using pre-defined usage models:
- "Point of Sale" is optimized for fast data entry. - "Signature Capture" facilitates an enhanced drag. - "General and Gaming" have parameter sets defined to maximize additional touch performance needs.
