Touchscreen Technologies Explained

Wikipedia defines a touchscreens:
"...a display which can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area.  The term generally refers to touch or contact to the display of the device by a finger or hand.  Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus.  The ability to interact directly with a display typically indicates the presence of a touchscreen."

We would define it as:
"Like putting a mouse directly onto a computer monitor.  Anything you can do with a mouse, you can do with a touchscreen monitor - only much easier.  No more moving a mouse or cursor around the screen, just touch the screen with your finger where you want the computer to respond."

Any application can be used with a touchscreen monitor so long as the area of response is of reasonable size (no smaller than the tip of a finger).  Touchscreen drivers can be installed on a wide range of computers and require no other specialist software other than the hardware device driver.  Applications for touchscreens include point of sale processing, information kiosks for public use, factory and industrial control systems as well as educational uses in schools, colleges and universities.  Touch screens are space saving as the need for a full-size mouse and keyboard is avoided.  They are make the use of operating specialist software applications much simpler as the user is only presented with the on-screen buttons which are relevant to the task, making them ideal for non-keyboard-literate users as well as young children using educational learning software.

There are a wide-range of touch technologies available that offer different solutions dependent on the environment they are going to be used in.  The information below should give you a brief outline of the suitability of each product but if you have any doubts or queries, please contact us as we will not exchange products where a technology has been purchased for the incorrect environment.

AccuTouch (or resistive touch technology)
This is an affordable, moderate-use technology that allows for pressure to be applied by finger, glove, card or pen on the transparent membrane of the touch screen. It gives a reasonable picture quality and brightness.

Elo commonly use a 5-wire sensor design for improved accuracy and response which is better suited for heavier use such as in retail and industry.  They are ideal for use in harsh-use environments and are impervious to contaminants such as liquid spills and splashes, humidity and washdown making these screens the most contamination-resistant available.

Elo's AccuTouch technology can deliver drift-free operation for a lifetime of 35 million finger touches.

Typical applications for AccuTouch touch screens are:
Food retail outlets, Hospitality and Hotels, Vending, General retail, Grocery/Convenience, Industrial solutions for process and machine control, office automation equipment, lab testing, medical and research instruments and mobile use.

IntelliTouch (or surface wave touch technology)
This type of technology is suited to educational and public kiosk use.  It sends sound waves across the screen surface and then detects interruptions to the sound waves.  This technology can sometimes be affected by contaminants so is not suited to applications where dust, grease or water may be present on the finger/stylus.  These screens can only be used with finger or soft stylus.

IntelliTouch surface wave is the optical standard of touch. Its pure glass construction provides superior optical performance with better image clarity, higher resolution, and light transmission making it the most scratch-resistant technology available. It is virtually impossible to physically "wear out" these touchscreens.

Typical applications for IntelliTouch touch screens are:-
Point-of-information public kiosks, vending and ticket sales, electronic catalogs, gaming, lottery and amusement, public pay phones, multimedia marketing, design applications, banking/financial transactions, computer-based training.

Acoustic Pulse Recognition (or APR touch technology)
Elo introduced Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR) touchscreens into their product portfolio in Summer 2007.  Consisting only of a glass overlay mounted in front of the display, together with a small electronic controller board, APR technology provides a new set of benefits that have only been partially achieved before by other touch technologies.

APR combines the ultimate in optical qualities, durability, and stability, with excellent dragging properties, along with stylus, glove and fingernail activation, and low cost advantages. In addition, it is resistant to water and other contaminants on the screen, can be scaled from PDA to 42-inch displays, and provides palm rejection.

APR works in a simple and elegant way by recognizing the sound created when the glass is touched at a given position.   It offers a true-flat display surface (as seen on the new 1900L and 2200L models with zero-bezel).

Typical applications for Acoustic Pulse Recognition touch screens are:
Restaurant and Hospitality, Retail, Point of sale, Pharmaceutical automation, Industrial solutions, general office automation equipment.

CarrollTouch (or Infrared touch technology)
CarrollTouch infrared technology is the survivor of harsh applications. It is the only technology that does not rely on an overlay or substrate to register a touch so it is impossible to physically "wear out" the touchscreen.

CarrollTouch technology combines superior optical performance with excellent gasket-sealing capabilities making it an excellent choice for harsh industrial and outdoor kiosk applications.

These touchscreens can be used with finger, gloved hand, fingernail, or stylus andit delivers a fast, accurate response every time.