Multi-touch concept and development

Multi-touch (also known as multi-touch, multi-point sensing, multi-sensing, English translated as Multitouch or Multi-Touch) is a technology that adopts human-computer interaction technology and hardware equipment to realize the technology, which can be used without traditional input devices (such as: Mouse, keyboard, etc.) to carry out the human-computer interaction operation of the computer. Multi-point touch technology can form a touch screen (screen, desktop, wall, etc.) or touch pad, which can simultaneously accept human-computer interaction operations from multiple points on the screen.

Multi-point touch can be understood as multi-point operation on one screen. Multi-touch is not only a little convenient for two points or several points to be applied to the screen at the same time, because it is multi-touch, so it can sense the speed and strength of the finger sliding (the intensity is realized by the conversion of the touch points) , So that the operating system is more user-friendly. Multi-touch refers to input technologies that allow computer users to control image applications with a few fingers.

To use multi-touch technology, the device must be equipped with a touch screen or touch pad, and it must be equipped with software that can recognize more than one touch at the same time. In contrast, standard touch technology can only recognize one point. The biggest difference. Things that can make the computer feel physical touch include: heat, acupressure, high-speed cameras, infrared, optical sensors, resistance changes, ultrasonic receivers, microphones, laser amplitude sensors, and shadow sensors.

Xingwei Electronics|Touch Screen

Multi-touch development

Multi-touch technology began in 1982 by the University of Toronto invented a multi-touch screen that senses the pressure of the index finger. In the same year, Bell Labs published the first academic literature discussing touch technology.

In 1984, Bell Labs developed a touch screen that could change the screen with more than one hand. At the same time, the above-mentioned group of developers at the University of Toronto terminated the research and development of related hardware technologies and shifted the direction of research and development to software and interfaces. In the same year, Microsoft began to study this area.

In 1991, Pierre Wellner proposed a multi-touch "digital service desk", which supports multiple fingers, and developed a multi-touch touch screen technology called digital desktop, which allows users to touch and touch with multiple fingers at the same time. Pull the image on the touch screen.

In 1999, "John Elias" and "Rooney Westman" produced multi-touch products including iGesture boards and multi-touch keyboards. In 2005, it was acquired by Apple Computer.

In 2006, the new touch screen developed by Professor Jefferson Y Han of New York University can be operated by both hands at the same time and supports simultaneous operation by multiple people. Using this technology, Jefferson Y Han drew several lines on the screen with a size of 36 inches x 27 inches using multiple fingers at the same time. The difference from ordinary touch screen technology is that it can respond to multiple touch hotspots at the same time, and the response time is very short-less than 0.1 second.

In 2007, "Apple" and "Microsoft" respectively announced products and plans for applying multi-touch technology, which enabled the technology to enter mainstream applications.