Microsoft refines the reverse touchscreen

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 22 Dec 2008 at 09:51

Microsoft has unveiled a new credit-card sized touchscreen, where users control the device by dragging their finger along the rear of the display.

Microsoft unveiled a prototype of the display, called LucidTouch, last year, but the team has further refined the concept, increasing its sensitivity while bringing down the size.

The nanoTouch is intended to broaden the scope of touchscreen applications, such as videogames, by allowing users to see what they're doing while they interact with the device.

Currently, it's difficult to play a game using the touchscreen as the finger obscures the display. However by using the nanoTouch all that would be visible on the display panel would be a tiny dot tracking the presence of the finger.

The nanoTouch also allows device makers to stuff the display with far more icons than normal touchscreens, as they're not going to be obscured.

Researchers say the technology could be ready for use next year in a range of devices including MP3 players and watches.

Microsoft researchers are also looking at introducing pressure-sensitive touchscreens. Early demonstrations of the technology involve a researcher pressing down on a touchscreen to push a playing card beneath another card.

Ultimately, the team says it would like to be able to precisely judge this pressure to slide the card in at various heights in a full deck.