THE TOUCHSCREEN!!!!

Introduction

         The touchscreen. One of the most common characteristics of modern day appliances, they are found in nearly every high end technological apparatus in the field of portable computers and other devices of that sort. Though they haven’t been this common for such a long time, they do have a long history dating back to the early 70’s. A man that went by Doctor Sam Hurst first “touched” this technology.

Invention

         The “touch sensor” was first developed by this man in 1971 in the labs of the University of Kentucky. He called this “sensor” the Elograph”. The Elograph was not see-thru like modern day touchscreens, but it was the first true key element to the later production of the more advanced models we have today. Dr. Hurst then made a company in which he worked on touchscreens for years, until finally in 1974 he made the first true touchSCREEN as it was a transparent screen that you could put images behind. Then in 1977 the same company made and patented five-wire resistive touchscreen technology, the most popular touchscreen technology used today.

Inventor’s Bio

         Though not much is known about Dr. Hurst’s past, we do know that in the early 70’s he was a professor at the University of Kentucky.

Impact in OUR world

         Touchscreens are extremely useful and have become an almost necessary part of our everyday life. Reason they’re used so much is because they enable the user to directly interact with what is displayed without the interference of a mouse. They also usually make devices need only one part as the touch screen controls it all, so it becomes an easier task to maintain and repair. 

ATMs are the most common use of touchscreens, but fthey’re are also used in museum exhibits, ticket sales in airports and movie theaters, and public information kiosks. Or in IPads!!!

Construction

The most popular touchscreens are built in the following manner:

1.    Top polyester coated with a transparent metallic conductive coating on the bottom.

2.    Adhesive spacer.

3.    Glass layer coated with a transparent metallic conductive coating on the top.

4.    Adhesive layer on the backside of the glass for mounting.

Works Cited

1.    Tyco Electronics is now TE Connectivity | Electronic Components, Connectors & Network Solutions  . (n.d.).      Tyco Electronics is now TE Connectivity | Electronic Components, Connectors & Network Solutions  . Retrieved May 1, 2011, from http://www.tycoelectronics.com/default.aspx

2.    Touchscreen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreen