Touchscreens are set to go beyond just the two-finger scroll as Synaptics announced a new multi-touch sensor that has the ability to distinguish up to ten simultaneous finger touches. That means instead of using just the index and the middle finger on touchscreens to pinch or zoom, consumers can use any of their fingers to communicate with the display and scribble on the screen.
Multi-touch, popularized by Apple’s iPhone, has become an important way for consumers to go beyond the keyboard and interact with their devices. Research firm DisplaySearch says the market for touchscreens with multi-touch capability will grow from $800 million in 2008 to more than $4 billion in 2015.
Synaptics’ latest product called the ClearPad 3000 Series uses 48 sensing channels and has advanced power management that allows for screen sizes of up to 8-inches diagonally. But the real innovation is in the sensor’s ability to offer high accuracy and low power consumption at the same time, says Synaptics. The sensors have an accuracy of ±1 mm (millimeters), are about 0.3 mm thick and have a power consumption with 5 mA in full active mode and 12 µA in deep sleep mode.
Synaptics hopes the touchscreen sensors will be integrated into mobile phones and other consumer electronics products especially in gaming and GPS-based navigation devices.
The ClearPad 3000 engineering samples will be available in November and could make their way into products early next year.
Check out the video link above for a demo of Synaptics latest sensor.
See Also:
- Synaptics Waves Around New Touchpad Gestures
- Can Apple Patent the Pinch? Experts Say It’s Possible
- Taiwanese Company Slaps Apple With Touchscreen Lawsuit
Video: Synaptics
