At Embedded World Toshiba Electronics Europe is previewing a new technology that is set to broaden the spread of multi-point touchscreens in industrial and medical applications. The company is demonstrating a system that uses patent-pending algorithm to combine the benefits of resistive and capacitive touch sensors while overcoming limitations associated with each of these technologies.

Consumers are becoming increasingly used to touchscreens in personal devices such as mobile phones and tablet PCs. These products utilise multi-point (generally two-point) sensing to deliver flexibility and control in on-screen operations. Similar capabilities are valuable in industrial and medical equipment where the ability to manipulate, for example, a slider and rotary switches simultaneously provides a greater degree of control.

Smartphones generally employ capacitive touchscreens that can recognise dual-touch gestures, such as pinch/zoom, but are unable to function with a pen, stylus or gloved hand. Resistive touchscreens, conversely, can accept pen, stylus and gloved inputs but do not typically support multi-touch. Resistive touchscreens cost significantly less than their capacitive equivalents, a factor that is particularly significant if touch technology is to migrate from its current bastion in high value portable consumer devices to the more cost-sensitive industrial marketplace.

Toshiba’s demonstration shows a resistive touchscreen that, as well as accepting the usual pen, stylus and gloved inputs, can also interpret multi-touch gestures. The Resistive Touch Technology Demonstrator comprises an ARM9 development board front end for the touchpad and display coupled with an add-on PCB that amplifies the touch stimulus and calculates position and movement.

The demonstrator is intended to showcase the capabilities of technology currently under development within Toshiba and planned for introduction later in the year.