Touch screens are becoming more popular because they make the user interface more exciting and intuitive for people new to modern tech gadgetry. Touchscreen technology was first developed for specialized research products in the 1970s, but now they are found in everyday devices, including Automation, Medical, Computer screens, Cell phones, Poing of Sale, GPS and ect.. But have you ever stopped to think about how such devices recognize your finger, pen or stylus remains ? We've got some answers.

How does the resistive touch screen work?

When you press your finger on a resistive screen, the top, flexible layer touches the bottom one, and the interruption in the electrical current is noted by the device, and it calculates the precise location of the point of contact. Depending on what button is located under your finger, the software registers the coordinates and performs the command. they respond to pressure, you can activate them with bare fingers, gloves, or styluses (remember the PalmPilot?), but you can't swipe or use multi-touch gestures, because the electric current encased within can only successfully register one point of contact at a time.

How does the Capacitive touchscreen work?

iPhones, iPads, Samsung Galaxy smartphones, and Amazon’s Kindle Fire, to name a few, use the “capacitive” method. These electronic devices monitor changes in electrical currents running through the screens. The touchscreens include a layer of capacitive, or electricity-storing, material. The capacitors in the screen are arranged according to a coordinate system, creating a grid. The circuitry inside the screen can then sense changes in electrical charge at each point along the grid. As a result, every individual point on the grid generates its own signal when touched, which is then relayed back to the device’s processor, allowing the device to recognize multiple points of contact.

How does the Infrared Touchscreen Technology work?

In the Infrared Touchscreen Technology, an array of X- and Y- axes are fitted with pairs of IR Leds and photo detectors. The photo detectors detect any change in the pattern of light emitted by the Leds whenever the user touches the monitor/screen.

How does the Surface Acoustic Wave technology work?

The Surface Acoustic Wave Touchscreen technology contains two transducers (transmitting and receiving) placed along the X-axis and Y-axis of the monitor’s glass plate along with some reflectors. The waves propagate across the glass and are reflected back to the sensors. When the screen is touched, the waves are absorbed and a touch is detected at that point. These reflectors reflect all electrical signals sent from one transducer to another. This technology provides excellent throughput and image clarity.