Touch screens can be found everywhere nowadays, from mall kiosks to smartphones to tablet computers. As technology advances, keyboards and mice are quickly becoming obsolete. Why bother with cords when you can have everything you need with just a touch?

A touch screen is an electronic visual display that allows users to directly interact with what is shown on the screen, eliminating the need for a pointing device like a mouse. It is designed to respond to the touch of a finger, although a stylus or another object can also be used.

Touch screens are used in various modern electronic devices, including personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite navigation systems, and video games. Although their popularity has increased recently, the concept of touch screens dates back many decades.

The idea for touch screens was initially developed by E.A. Johnson at the Royal Radar Establishment in England and was first described in a short article published in 1965.

Due to the various types of devices that use touch screens, it is not surprising that there are different types of touch screens available. Each type functions slightly differently from the others.

Resistive touch screen systems consist of two thin metallic layers separated by spacers. An electrical current runs through the layers, and when the screen is touched, the layers make contact at that specific spot. This contact leads to a change in the electrical field, which can be understood by the device’s computer operating system.

Capacitive touch screen systems feature a special layer that stores an electrical charge. When the screen is touched, some of the electrical charge is transferred to the user, resulting in a decrease in the charge on the capacitive layer. The device’s computer operating system can determine the location of the touch based on this change in electrical charge.

In order for a capacitive system to work, some of the electrical charge must be able to be transmitted to the user. This is why capacitive touch screens may not function properly if the user is wearing gloves that block the transmission of the electrical charge.

Capacitive systems are newer and more popular than resistive systems because they transmit more light and provide a clearer image. However, capacitive systems also tend to be more expensive than resistive systems.

Surface acoustic wave touch screen systems use transducers and reflectors to measure changes in the reflection of ultrasonic waves caused by touching the screen. These systems are the most advanced and offer the clearest image possible. Unfortunately, they are also extremely expensive.

Initially, touch screens could only sense one point of contact at a time. However, technology has significantly advanced in recent years, and many touch screen devices now have multi-touch technology. This allows the device to interpret multiple points of contact simultaneously.

Try It Out

We hope you found today’s Wonder of the Day particularly interesting! But don’t put your hands away just yet! Use them to grab a friend or family member and explore one or more of the following hands-on activities!

Experience with Touch Screens

Have you ever used a touch screen computer? Or maybe you or someone you know owns a smartphone with a touch screen? It’s possible that you have a tablet or an e-reader with a touch screen as well. Even GPS devices in cars have touch screens. In fact, touch screens can be found in various places around town, such as video rental machines, ATMs, and even soda machines in certain restaurants. Take a moment to think about all the touch screens you have interacted with recently. How many can you come up with in the past day, week, or month?

Practical Experience and Reflection

If you don’t own a smartphone with a touch screen, try borrowing one from a friend or family member. Experiment with the different applications on the smartphone. Which ones are user-friendly with the touch screen? Are there any games that are challenging to play with the touch screen? Does the touch screen meet your expectations? How sensitive is it? Do you need to apply pressure or is a light touch enough? If you could improve the touch screen, what changes would you make? Discuss your thoughts with someone close to you.

A Unique Invention: Smell-o-vision

Are you up for a challenge? Are you ready to create the next groundbreaking invention? While touch screens are impressive, they have become quite common nowadays. To become the next Steve Jobs, you need to think outside the box. But don’t worry, we have a fantastic idea for you. We just need your creativity and hard work to bring it to life. What’s our idea? It’s the smell-o-vision! Televisions have been around for a long time, and we have touch screen, high-definition, and 3D options. They delight our eyes, ears, and even our fingers. But what about our sense of smell? Have you ever thought about that? Imagine watching a cooking show and being able to smell the food. We would be glued to The Bacon Channel! And what about shows featuring gardens? It would be amazing to see and SMELL the roses. How would you develop the smell-o-vision? What would it look like? How would you convince people to buy it? Which TV shows would be even better with smell-o-vision? And which ones might not be so great? Write down your thoughts and feel free to include illustrations of your creation. Email us your ideas. We can’t wait to see — or SMELL — them!