Last year’s CES found us at the booth of the iTable, which was an overlay for LCDs and TVs of any size that turned them into a multi-touch surface. We thought it was awesome, and the possibilities were many and various. Now we find that someone has one-upped the iTable, creating a multi-touch surface that’s thinner than a sheet of paper and can just be rolled onto any surface. How cool is that?!
It’s called DISPLAX, and I can’t describe it any better than Physorg did:
Based on patent-pending projected capacitive technology, DISPLAX Multitouch Technology uses a controller that works by processing multiple input signals it receives from a grid of nanowires embedded in the film attached to the enabled surface. Each time a finger is placed on the screen or a user blows on the surface, a small electrical disturbance is caused. The micro-processor controller analyses this data and decodes the location of each input on that grid to track the finger and air-flow movements.
I don’t know if you caught that, but it detects change in air flow. You can blow on it! Note that this is just a touch-sensitive surface; it still requires a display behind it and all that. As long as it just outputs some tagged XY coordinates, it should be a breeze, though.
It detects up to 16 touches at once, which probably has something to do with the power-of-two number of nanowires embedded in the stuff, but it’s not clear how precise it is. The IR solution of the iTable was very precise and could have basically as many inputs as you could throw at it, like the Surface. The benefit of DISPLAX, of course, is that it’s microscopically thin and very flexible. I’m looking forward to hearing more about this technology. They’re supposed to start shipping this July.
16 has to do with the number of fingers I have. On one hand. So I can use this thing one handed. For you know what…
“Each time a finger is placed on the screen or a user blows on the surface”
OMG
Interactive porn, here we come (or should i say cum)
Ow, my back! Ow, my feet!
All News Weatherman across the country and CNN must be forming at the mouth for this product
You forgot to mention that this is Portuguese technology, created by Edigma, it was presented at the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), Amsterdam. I apologize if there is any mistake in this text, English is not my native language.
hell, i wouldnt put it over a screen, i’d put it on a table infront of my screen and then use it like a wacom tablet with multi touch, thats where i see the real usable future of multi touch being (for productivity atleast)
Good morning Spyeglass,
A statement from Visual Planet regarding the latest claims by Displax. Let us know of any confusion in the market that comes at you:
You may have recently seen in the news from ISE that Displax are intending to launch a large format multi-touch flexible fine wire based touch foil product in July.
This statement is factually incorrect as Visual Planet have not entered into any agreement to release its patented flexible fine wire based touch foil sensor technology to Displax or any other third party organisation.
We would like to assure you that we are very focused on our own multi-touch development activities for the ViP Interactive Foil™, we will bring you further news shortly.
There seems to be alot of confusion about who produces what when it comes to the Displax/ VIP relationship. That could be very confusing and misleading to clients that just want truthful info, in order, to make the best decision possible for their business. There is no shame in being a reseller. Fortunes have been built on it. And karma is real…
By the way, bernyk, you’re absolutely on point!
You know what I think? VIP foil is just in your imagination, i just know a manufacturer who sold the patent to them. ViP bought some exlusive rights to this stuff and now they are calling their selves as a big developing company. Bull***shit. They’re just a reseller. Like the others are. Strange but true…