Embedded World 2016: Arms race of resistive and capacitive touchscreens gains new ammunition

February 10, 2016

Embedded World 2016: Arms race of resistive and capacitive touchscreens gains new ammunition

Touchscreens are an embedded subsector that sees few incremental technology improvements; thus, announcements are typically restricted to fundamental...

Touchscreens are an embedded subsector that sees few incremental technology improvements; thus, announcements are typically restricted to fundamental changes in their modus operandi. Embedded World 2016 promises revelations that address the two fundamental pitfalls in both of today’s popular types of touchscreen.

The primary drawback of resistive touchscreens are, of course, their relative weakness to withstanding industrial operation, compared to their rival – capacitive. The announcement of a 9H hardness film, which is so thin it does not affect operation and accuracy and is designed to lay on top of that delicate plastic membrane, promises to offer the anti-scratch function long lauded by its rival’s stalwarts.

Its main rival (now projected) capacitive touchscreen’s stumbling block is its inability to cope with users wearing thick gloves. A metallized capacitive touchscreen promises to end this restriction and extend applications suitable for projected capacitive touchscreen exponentially in the industrial sector.

Rory Dear, European Editor/Technical Contributor