Imagine, if you will, a world where everything from the clothes on your back to the glass in your hand was a touch-enabled device. We're not quite there yet…but thanks to researchers at the University of Munich and the Hasso Plattner Institute, we're getting closer to a touchy-feely world as we do with smart phones and computers.
What if you walked into a Starbucks or Second Cup café, sat in one of the soft seats and ordered what you want by merely pressing the tablecloth! Or even if the café is crowded and the staff is automatically alerted when a customer takes a seat or when a seat goes vacant. I believe that would be neat especially when there’s no visible buttons or wires.
Researchers have new uses for an old technology! They have developed a new type of touch technology that could lead to touch sensors in clothes, coffee tables or everyday items such as headphone wires or pieces of paper. This versatile and innovative technology can be used in a myriad of ways from alerts to alarms.
The new touch technology relies on time domain reflectometry or TDR, which has been used for decades to find damaged communication cables on land or underwater. TDR is rather simple in theory. Based on the known speed of a pulse from a TDR device and the time it takes to come back, software can determine the position and type of the problem. Essentially, a notification is triggered with any change in electrical conductance. To make a surface touch-sensitive requires only two wires (or metal traces of conductive ink), which can be configured in various patterns to get the necessary coverage.
With this new development, fabrics and stretchable materials can be made sensitive to the touch. By the simple touch of a finger, a surface is activated, a circuit is closed…an alert is sent out, someone is helped or served, someone has removed something they shouldn’t have or someone is caught!
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