Touch technology is rapidly gaining popularity in a variety of market segments due to its ability to enhance the interaction between an individual and machines or devices. In particular, consumer electronics products, such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, are using this technology on a large scale.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, “Innovative Applications of Touch Technologies”, finds that projected capacitance multi-touch technology interfaces are expected to be adopted even more by 2015.
Capacitive touchscreens should find use in larger screens, such as those used in televisions and corporate meeting rooms. Touch controllers will be more prevalent in larger screens for applications as ATM kiosks and industrial monitors.
Haptics, as well as optical imaging touchscreen technology, expect to make greater inroads in consumer electronics, driven by their ability to provide a more enriched and realistic user experience.
Haptics augment touchscreen technology, enabling individuals to perceive touch sensations when using electronic devices. Haptics can enable non-verbal communication between people and machines/devices using touch sensations. It is used, for example, to perform complex surgery with great accuracy and in gaming for an enhanced user experience.
In recent years, touch technology has progressed considerably in terms of integration into new products, innovative materials used, sensing and haptics technologies. Such developments include illuminative interactive multi-touch screens with motion sensing that allow user interaction through a floating panel on a large screen with a high level of clarity and screen resolution.
There has also been development of innovative nano-materials and roll-to-roll manufacturing for the creation of higher performing touch sensors and improved touchscreens/displays.
“Touch and gesture recognition, a prominent feature within touch technology, is finding opportunities in various industries, such as automotive, consumer electronics, and healthcare, as well as in appliances used for commercial and home automation purposes,” says technical insights research analyst Jithendranath Rabindranath. “The incorporation of haptics and optical imaging into consumer electronics is also gaining acceptance.”
In South Africa, it is expected that the early adopters of such technology will be those in the retail space. “We are already seeing an increased uptake of advanced display units, used for client interaction as well as advertising,” says ICT business unit leader for Frost & Sullivan Africa, Ian Duvenage.
“The retail sector in South Africa has started to embrace the idea of touch screen based concept stores, even in sections of the market like furniture retail. The advancement of touch technologies will surely be on the radar as the retail industry evolves over time.”
However, limitations exist in process efficiency and the high cost of integrating these new technologies in large area displays can slow down market potential. Ineffective system integration, which results in longer reaction times can somewhat hamper overall user experience. Difficulties in meeting the needs of a variety of applications also further hinders development.
Advancements in manufacturing techniques will be vital to improve economies of scale and lower costs. It will also encourage vendors to integrate new technologies to large-area displays and improve their performance benefits.
“A number of start-ups and research institutes are carrying out extensive research in this field with investments from venture capitalists,” says Rabindranath. “Original equipment manufacturers are also assigning more importance to their R&D activities, including designing software for increasing human machine interaction.”
