A touch screen or a virtual touch screen displays a virtual image on a touch-sensitive surface. This touch screen is different from the normal resistive or capacitive touch screen as it has no response to any physical force but only to human movement. The most common use of a touch screen display is in digital signs. However, they are also used in ATM machines, electronic luggage tags, credit card readers, eyeglass lens, telephone keypads, GPS systems, cigarette machines, automatic teller machines (ATMs), medical equipment, retail stores, video games consoles, personal digital assistants (PDA), wireless communication devices such as radios, televisions, and other consumer electronics, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other input/output devices.
A touchscreen or virtual touch screen is usually combined with an electrical display device for data processing. The touch screen is usually an organic liquid crystal display (OLD) or an organic LED display while the device is either a touch pad or a laptop. A resistive touch screen usually involves the use of electrical conductors such as aluminum oxide or polyester materials. The electrical conductors are wired in a layout that consists of four conductors and an area that are touch sensitive. The screen, touch-sensitive display, and conductive layer all form a thin, flat membrane called a capacitance substrate.
As touch screen technology increases, so do the number of technologies that allow people to interact with them. One example of a touch screen is the capacitive switch. This is a new addition to many switches including ATM machines, PDA processors, camera screens, telephone keypads, touch screen labels, and touch screen pens. A capacitive switch uses an electrical charge to change the state of a pixel. A computer uses this pixel information to determine what actions to take based on where the user’s finger has placed the stylus.
When a finger places a finger on the screen, an electric charge flows from the finger to the conductive layer. The amount of electric charge flowing is controlled by a mathematical algorithm controlled by the device’s microprocessor. It then causes the pixel to be activated when the finger moves over the screen. In this way, a user can interact with the device by either using their own finger to interact or by using a stylus. The computer knows which finger is interactive because it knows which code sequences to execute based on which action was made by the user.
In addition to using the finger for input, touch screens may also employ other methods of interaction. This is especially true of handheld devices such as a tablet. Most tablet computers use a resistive touch screen. In a touch screen tablet computer, two electrical signals are sent by the computer to the two sides of the touch screen: one to detect a touch and the other to initiate motion. When you tap a tablet PC, a signal is sent to detect a touch and then a motion is initiated. Tablet PC’s that do not use resistive touch technology requires users to use a stylus.
In addition to using the fingers for input, touch screens are also capable of implementing other types of interaction. This includes detecting eye contact. Eye contact is used by most smartphone devices as a way to let the user know they are being spoken to. The eye contact detection is a passive form of interaction, but it is still very useful. Many smartphone users rely on their touch-screen interface for menu and search functions as well as for dialing a telephone number.
Finally, touch screen technology is also capable of implementing gestures. Gestures are a type of motion that allows the user to manipulate items on a touch screen. This means that instead of using a pointing device like a mouse or stylus, touch screen users can actually move an item on the screen using their finger or even their hand.
Although touch-screen devices are designed to work more naturally with the fingers rather than the hands, the traditional touch screen interface still has some drawbacks. One major drawback is the lack of multitasking options. If you pinch to zoom in an image on your smartphone, you can only do one thing at a time. While this may seem like a minor annoyance, it is quite common to perform multiple tasks with a touch screen device without realizing it. However, the trend towards smartphones that integrate touch screen functionality with other technologies such as infrared light sensing and geofencing ensures that developers have plenty of new ways to utilize the screen and improve user experience.