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Okay,buthowdotouchscreensactuallywork?Scienceline

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Okay,buthowdotouchscreensactuallywork?
Swipe:verbtheactofmovingonesfingeracrossatouchscreen.

[ImageCredit:FlickrviaAdactio]
ByAllisonT.McCann|PostedJanuary17,2012
Postedin:EverWondered?
Tags:capacitive,resistive,swipe,touchscreen
http://scienceline.org/2012/01/okaybuthowdotouchscreensactuallywork/

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lifescience
Irecentlyoverheardawomanonthesubwaytellingherfriendthathertoddlerswipeseverythingin
theirhousethecoffeetable,books,platesandevenherownmother,tryingtomakeherdisappearlike
animageonatouchscreen.Thestorygotmethinkingthatformanyofus,ourknowledgeofwhats
goingonbehindthatglossydisplayisntmuchmorethanatoddlers.
BeforeIstartedresearchinghowtouchscreensworked,Ifiguredtherewasoneuniversaltechnology
behindtheswipablephenomenon.Insteaditturnsouttherearehalfadozen,andmorebeing
researchedeveryday.Thetwomostcommonlyusedsystemsareresistiveandcapacitivetouchscreens.
Forthesakeofsimplicity,Iwillfocushereonthesetwosystemsandfinishwithwhereexpertsthink
touchscreentechnologyisheaded.
1.Resistive
Thesearethemostbasicandcommontouchscreens,theonesusedatATMsandsupermarkets,that
requireanelectronicsignaturewiththatsmallgreypen.Thesescreensliterallyresistyourtouchifyou
presshardenoughyoucanfeelthescreenbendslightly.Thisiswhatmakesresistivescreensworktwo
electricallyconductivelayersbendingtotouchoneanother,asinthispicture:

Resistivetouchscreentechnology[ImageCredit:ChassisPlans]
Oneofthosethinyellowlayersisresistiveandtheotherisconductive,separatedbyagapoftinydots
calledspacerstokeepthetwolayersapartuntilyoutouchit.(Athin,scratchresistantbluelayerontop
completesthepackage.)Anelectricalcurrentrunsthroughthoseyellowlayersatalltimes,butwhen
yourfingerhitsthescreenthetwoarepressedtogetherandtheelectricalcurrentchangesatthepointof
contact.Thesoftwarerecognizesachangeinthecurrentatthesecoordinatesandcarriesoutthefunction
thatcorrespondswiththatspot.
Resistivetouchscreensaredurableandconsistent,buttheyrehardertoreadbecausethemultiplelayers
reflectmoreambientlight.Theyalsocanonlyhandleonetouchatatimerulingout,forexample,the
twofingerzoomonaniPhone.Thatswhyhighenddevicesaremuchmorelikelytousecapacitive
touchscreensthatdetectanythingthatconductselectricity.
2.Capacitive
Unlikeresistivetouchscreens,capacitivescreensdonotusethepressureofyourfingertocreatea
changeintheflowofelectricity.Instead,theyworkwithanythingthatholdsanelectricalcharge
includinghumanskin.(Yes,wearecomprisedofatomswithpositiveandnegativecharges!)Capacitive
touchscreensareconstructedfrommaterialslikecopperorindiumtinoxidethatstoreelectricalcharges
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inanelectrostaticgridoftinywires,eachsmallerthanahumanhair.

Capacitivetouchscreentechnology[Imagecredit:Electrotest]
Therearetwomaintypesofcapacitivetouchscreenssurfaceandprojective.Surfacecapacitiveuses
sensorsatthecornersandathinevenlydistributedfilmacrossthesurface(aspicturedabove)whereas
projectivecapacitiveusesagridofrowsandcolumnswithaseparatechipforsensing,explainedMatt
Rosenthal,anembeddedprojectmanageratTouchRevolution.Inbothinstances,whenafingerhitsthe
screenatinyelectricalchargeistransferredtothefingertocompletethecircuit,creatingavoltagedrop
onthatpointofthescreen.(Thisiswhycapacitivescreensdontworkwhenyouwearglovesclothdoes
notconductelectricity,unlessitisfittedwithconductivethread.)Thesoftwareprocessesthelocationof
thisvoltagedropandorderstheensuingaction.(Ifyourestillconfused,watchthisvideo.)
3.Whatsnext?SizingUp
Newertouchscreentechnologiesareunderdevelopment,butcapacitivetouchremainstheindustry
standardfornow.Thebiggestchallengewithtouchscreensisdevelopingthemforlargersurfacesthe
electricalfieldsoflargerscreensofteninterferewithitssensingcapability.
SoftwareengineersfromPerceptivePixel,whichdesignsmultitouchscreens,isusingatechnology
calledfrustratedtotalinternalreflection(FTRI)fortheirlargerscreens,whichareasbigas82inches.
WhenyoutouchanFTRIscreenyouscatterlightandseveralcamerasonthebackofthescreendetect
thislightasanopticalchange,justasacapacitivetouchscreendetectsachangeinelectricalcurrent.

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Frustratedtotalinternalreflection[ImageCredit:JeffHanLaboratory,formerlyNYUnowPerceptive
Pixel]
82inches?Thatstheperfectsizeforaswipeablecoffeetable.
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Allcommentsaremoderated,yourcommentwillnotappearonthesiteuntilithasbeenapproved.
1.Greatexplanationoftechnologythatweuseeveryday.Iwasthinkingaboutthistopicjustthe
otherdayandneverlookedintoit,nowIdonthavetoo!
Steve,January19,2012at11:33am
2.Arelatex&nitrilesomeofthoseconductivematerials?AtworkIwearlatexornitrilecoated
cotton/polyesterglovesandIcanusemyiPhonewithoutremovingmygloves.
TimS.,January24,2012at2:43pm
3.HiTim,
Theanswertoyourquestionisnotquitethatstraightforwardanycapacitivetouchscreen,like
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youriPhone,registersatouchbasedonthedielectricconstantandthicknessofthematerialin
contact.Thedielectricconstantistheextenttowhichamaterialcancreateelectricfluxand
mosttouchscreensaretunedsoyourfingerneedstobewithin.5mmorcloser(inair)tosensea
touch.Sosinceyourlatexandnitrilegloves,forinstance,areextremelythin,yourfingerisstill
closeenoughtothescreenforittoregister.Thecommercialtouchscreengloves,ontheotherhand,
arentusinglatexornitrilematerial,theyreusingaconductivethreadthatcanpickupthe
electricalcurrentfromyourhandsandmakethescreenthinktheentiregloveisjustpartofyour
hand.So,whenusingglovesonatouchscreen,theyeitherneedtobereallythin(likeyours)or
reallyconductive(liketheonesadvertised)latexandnitrileworkwell,butIdontthinktheyre
goingtokeepyourhandsverywarm!
AllisonT.McCann,January27,2012at1:20pm
4.ThanksforasimpleanswertoaquestionIvewonderedaboutmorethanonce.Andthankyou
AllisonforyourcommentsabouttheiPhone.IcaninteractwithmyiPhonethroughsomethingas
thickasacottonshirtbutImthinkingitmightbeporousenoughtobemildlyconductive.
TrevorGallant,January30,2012at8:29am
5.IamtryingtounderstandwhyIcannotuseorbetteryet,whydonttouchscreensworkforme?I
understandtheinformationyousupplied,evenwithoutgloves,thetouchscreendoesntregister
me.Why?
CarrieP,February2,2012at10:32pm
6.Thisisjustawesome,Lehmancanunderstandtheconceptoftouchscreen.
Kishor,July20,2012at9:14am
7.Thanksforexplanationofhowtouchscreensworked
phen,December4,2012at11:57am
8.Howdocapacitivetouchscreensworkwithscreenguards?
Bharat,May23,2013at12:47am
9.verywellexplained
resistivetouchscreenareclearlymoresturdyIhadaNokia5230andiuseditfor3years..I
droppeditoffachairliftfromatleast200ft.Thescreenwasntevenscratched
http://www.thegadgetcode.com/2013/05/touchscreencapacitiveresistive.html
hameed1989,June4,2013at8:46am
10.Afewdaysagoanunnaturalthinghappened.IwasconnectingmyUSBkeyboardtothebackside
ofmyCPU.AsusualwhenItoucheditIgotalittleshockwhichwasbearable.ThenItookmy
mobilephone,whichhasaCapacitivetouchscreen.Butthephonestartedtobehaveweird.Itseems
thatitwasbeingtouchedautomatically!!Itseemedsomeoneinvisiblewastouchingitvigorously!!
AfterthatIrestartmyphone,cleanedthescreenseveraltimes.Now,somecornerareaisnt
responding.Iwantadescriptionaboutthisincident.
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Abrar,October2,2014at1:09pm
11.Niceexplanationindeed.Weunderstandthebasicideanow.Butthatflashvideowasnotreally
helpfulbecauseofpoorpresentation.Thanksforthearticlebytheway..
Rahul,January31,2015at11:03am
12.@CarrieP.:Carrie,Ihaveseenwheresomepeoplecouldntgettheirtouchscreenstoworkand
thoughttheirphoneswerebroken.Itoldthemtomoiturizetheirhandsandtryagain.Turnedout
theyhappentohaveverydryfingertips,thatday.Also,doyourfingersgetcoldeasily?Ifso,you
mayhavepoorcirculationinyourhandsandshouldseeyourPhysician.
Asstateditthearticle,ourbodiesaremadeupofAtoms.Unlessyoureanalien,withsynthetic
bloodthathasbeendesignedwithanalternativetotheAtomoryourcreatormadeyouwithrubber
fingers,youcarryanelectriccharge.Ifyouare,indeed,analien,youmaywanttohaveyour
fingersredesigned,toworkwithourarchaictechnology.)
Iknowsomeonewhoisworkingwithasyntheticfluidandhashadencouragingsuccess,thusfar.
Hes12yearsold,too.Hecouldbethecreatorofthenextandgreatesttouchscreen.Hecarriesmy
blood,so,IknowhesnotanalieneventhoughIwonder,attimes.Reading4500WPMand
comprehendingthem,attheageof5andscoringinthetop19%inthecountry,onthecollege
entranceexam,in7thgrade,isntexactlythenorm.Ihavenodoubthewillberemeberedasoneof
thegreatmindsofhisgeneration.
GOGATORS!
JohnCurtis,May7,2015at10:00am
13.Whydoesthesurfacethatistouchingthecapacitivescreenhavetobeflat?Icanusetheflatarea
ofapieceofaluminumfoilthatmyfingeristouchingtocontrolthescreenbutnotatipofthesame
pieceoffoilrightnexttoaflatareathatworkedandheldinthesameway.
Thanks
Ralph,May15,2015at1:24pm
14.Isitthatenoughchargecantflowthoughasmallarealikethetipofapieceofaluminumfoilfast
enoughtoactivatethecircuitry?
Ralph,May15,2015at1:34pm
15.howcapacitivetouchscreenworkwithplasticprotectorbecauseitisabadconductorsothecharge
istransferredfrombodytoscreenthroughplasticprotector
abdulrehman,May19,2015at6:36am
16.Ithoughtthiswebsitewasgreat!Keepupthegoodwork!Helpedmewithmysciencehomework.
ReganLeavy,May30,2015at10:43pm
17.@Ralph.Yesitcan.Itismetalwithanelectricalcharge.
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ReganLeavy,May30,2015at10:50pm
18.Ihavelowbloodpressurethatlikestogetevenlowerwhenthereisastressorthosetimes,cant
hardlyusemyiPhone
Mind,June5,2015at8:28am
19.Iracecars,mycartherequiresatablet(Nexus7)todisplaythedatainsidethecar.Iamnotableto
manipulatethescreenwithmyracingglovesonandnoonemakesanomexglovewithcapacitive
touchcapabilities.CouldIaddconductivethreadtoindexfingertiptomakethiswork?
Tom,June9,2015at10:07am
20.Anelectricianfriendarguedthat
Atouchscreenoperatedonheat.HegotmadwhenItriedtocorrecthim.
Clifforda.Kirkland,July9,2015at6:29pm
21.pleaseIwantmoreunderstandingoncapacitivesystems.
muelzAaron,July12,2015at4:17am
22.@TomJusttrytopullanitrileglove(thoseblueexaminationgolves)overyournormalgloves.
Inthecaseofafriendwhoisparaglidingthishelped.Hecanusehismobilewhileintheairbyjust
wearingnitrileglovesoverthethikleathergloves.
Marco,July13,2015at5:45am
23.Iamwonderingwhetherresistivetouchscreenwouldbereplacedbycapacitivetouchscreeninthe
future?Capacitivetouchscreenhasmoreadvantagesandweusecapacitivetechnologyinsomeof
ourproducts.
Helen,July23,2015at10:31pm
24.Thisisabrilliantlystructuredarticle.
ChevenRamrathan,July28,2015at7:55am
25.@CliffordLolIhadthesameargumentwithmyhusband!HeshutupwhenIpointedoutthefact
thathisstylusisnotwarmsoheiswrong!Thisisagreatexplanationofhowtheywork.Thanks
forprovingmeright!!!
JoanieS.,August23,2015at8:24am
26.Brilliantarticle.Iwouldlovetoknowmoreifitispossibleforatouchsystemthatdoesnot
requiresanykindofsurfacetointeractupon.Thismighttotallysoundinsane,butlookingatthe
future.Thistotallymightbeanotherpossibility.
Sudipto,August29,2015at6:44pm
27.<.AsicsGelKayano.Whilemuscleisheavierthan.
runningwalkingshoes,September3,2015at6:20am
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28.Couldnthaveexplaineditbetter.Thanks!
FrankS.,September14,2015at8:51am
29.IUNDERSTANDROCKETSCIENCENOWBRUH:D
Carlj.jones,September16,2015at1:38pm
30.Iam67yr.old,cameintocomputers10yr.ago.Myquestion,Iplaytankwargames,sohowdoes
itallwork,aimtargetandfire,andnofingersincontact.Whenitcomestocomputersandthelike,
Iplaythem,butdon`tunderstandthemcananyoneanswermydumbquestionplease.
MichaelCoffey,October13,2015at5:14pm
31.thxthatisreallycoolandhelpful
brad,November4,2015at10:33am
32.Butwhynotonlywithfinger?Whynotnailsandplasticsorothermatters??
SaurabhMishra,December8,2015at1:47am
33.Oldertouchscreentechnologiesusedinfrared.Maybethatiswhytheelectricianthoughtthat
touchscreensoperatedonheat?Howeveritwasntbasedonheatitwasbasedonbreakingthelight
pathfromaninvisibleinfraredLEDtoaninfraredreceiveronagridofIRlightshiningabovethe
surfaceofthevideoscreen.ThiswasusedoncertainCRTtouchscreendisplaysbackinthe80s.
SteveBF,December8,2015at3:29pm
34.makesalotofsense,Ihaveverywarm,hands,goodcirculation,greasygriptheirforalwaysgot
moisthands,mywifesarealwayscoldanddryandsheisalwayshavingtroublegettingagood
contactwhereasIdont,cheers.
andrew,December11,2015at7:14am
35.Iamaphysicist.
Thisisagoodexplanationforthelayman
DrJohnWHallII,December20,2015at3:26pm
36.VeryNiceJustlookingforit.
sagar,January4,2016at6:26am
37.Thankuh.ithasgivenveryhelpfulandwideinfornmationregardingtouchscreensiwas
lookingforit!!
harshit,February10,2016at1:11pm
38.Myfingersbegintoburn,notinthesenseofheat,butinthesenseofanervesensationifIusemy
touchscreentoolong.Isthereaconnectionwiththeelectricalimpulsesofthebodybeingdisturbed
bytheelectricalchargescreatedbythetouchscreen?
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Suzybeach,March8,2016at8:14pm
39.Ihavequestion.
Weusescreenpaper/protectiveglassonscreenwhichisnotconductedelectron..
Thenhowcapacitedtouchwork
ohiduzzaman,March15,2016at11:48pm

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